


I Don't Deserve You

by Franchisca



Series: Reverse Guardian Demons [1]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: College Life, Demon Dipper Pines, Demon Mabel Pines, Demons, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Guardians - Freeform, Human Bill Cipher, Light Angst, M/M, Mental Instability, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reverse Demonic Guardians AU, Slow Build, demonic guardians au, don't want to give it away in tags, don't want to tag to much, super slow burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-19
Updated: 2016-10-18
Packaged: 2018-05-21 15:38:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 64,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6056965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Franchisca/pseuds/Franchisca
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by Starfleet Rambos Reverse Demonic Guardians AU</p>
<p>Guardian Demons were rare and they typically came later in life, usually in someone’s teen years. Mother often talked in spite about her sister’s Guardian a small lesser Demon of Deceit that was handy in telling her when people were lying to her. She was fifteen when she found the little fez shaped Guardian in their family garden. It was still unknown why some people had Guardians while others didn’t but it was often speculated that they came like fairy godparents at a time when humanity is often at their lowest. Apparently being a teenager is the most stressful time in a persons life.</p>
<p>At ten years old, this was probably the youngest anyone had received a Guardian. But if Dot had one…</p>
<p>“W-we’re twins… shouldn’t I have one too?”</p>
<p>---<br/>Note: If you're looking for a Bill/Dip story than most of it won't happen until the sequel but you won't understand most things unless you read this story too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. From the Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually my first venture into a full blown story for this fandom as well as on this site. I'll still be doing my one shots but I couldn't keep this one to myself any longer.

Mother was not a quiet woman. She didn’t make apple pies or go to baseball games, she didn’t tuck them into bed or reassure them that there was nothing in the closet. No, Mother was a woman for herself. She was vivacious and crude, especially with a beer in her hand. But she had a wit about her, there was nothing Mother couldn’t manipulate out of a person. This was probably why Father loved her so.

Father was a large man, smart in the most cunning of ways. As a lawyer people only saw this as an asset and so hardly felt offense if his cold gaze rested on them. He had no time for the antics of imagination or intellect that wasn’t productive. They were quite the pair, Mother and Father, though the titles were merely that.

On the day that Wilhelmina discovered she would have a child she became so enraptured with the thought of a little girl. The child would be named after her father with one minor alteration, Donatella. Both were more then prepared to pamper their little princess. Father wanted nothing more then the pleasure of Mother so he compliantly gave her all she needed to recreate a room of pink and stars. She had just finished painting the constellations on the ceiling when her water broke.

It was often questioned how Wilhelmina and Donatello, with all the resources available to them, did not see what was coming a long time ago. The truth was that Wilhelmina never wanted to hear the sex of her child because she had already felt so certain and all doctors were told before hand only to watch for the health of the child and give no more information then that. So imagine the surprise on Mother and Father’s faces when a small boy was born, his first breaths a steady whimper. Imagine now, the furious one on Father’s face when a second one made themselves known, pushing without their mother fully acknowledging what was happening.

They hid their shame at not knowing by boasting that their strapping young twin boys would be like they’re old man. There were plans to show them off and create the image of the perfect family. Father would utilize this image as political fuel. It was Mother who was the most distraught, the only thing she did for the boys was name them.

Born first was Donatello, his hair a shade of black that, alike his mother, shone blue when it hit the light and eyes a precious cerulean like his father. He was an intellectual boy, charming in every sense of the manner. At the tender age of five he spoke in eloquent sentences to his father’s clients. He was trained by Father to always be on the most perfect behavior. With a fancy for computers and the like, his father’s pride only grew but as a result his strict mannerisms only became worse.

Second born, William, was not unlike his brother except in looks. Bestowed upon him by his father was hair so yellow it could have been gold and from his mother eyes of a rare amber color. He was as intelligent, if not more so, as his twin. At five he could have been as elegant as his brother but a personality born of wit and sarcasm made him nearly unbearable to all but Mother who may have loved him if he’d only been a she. This never bothered William, he preferred to be on his own solving his puzzles and games.

The twins had only each other to show constant affection for and as fate had it they did adore the other. They learned to crawl at the same time and too walk as well. When they learned to speak it was only ever about the other twin. They’re separate interests never annoyed each other and if an argument ever ensued between the two they quickly hashed it out. Although arguing was rare for the twins as their parent’s did enough of it themselves.

It seemed the older the twins got the more open their eyes became to their parent’s antics. At eight years old they were waking up with bruises from their father and words of disappointment in their heads. William did his best to care for Donatello who would still try and play the proper son in hopes that his parents might accept him. Eventually, one day, William cracked.

* * *

 

The sun coming through the window was already a burnt orange color. Sunset was already upon him as he entered his home, wincing at the soft snick of the door when he closed it. He’d promised to be home before the sun started to go down. He’d gone to the library to return a book on the history of computers but ended browsing through the selection on programming. He’d gotten one thinking that perhaps his brother’s love for codes and puzzles would persuade him to learn the language together.

“Is that you, Dot?” The voice wafted from the kitchen, followed quickly by the form of a ten year old boy in the doorway.

“Shh, it’s me, Bill, don’t talk so loud.” Dot smiled at his twin. Bill’d had a penchant for nicknames, it was his thing. Donnie made more sense than Dot but Donnie didn’t sound right for a computer nerd like him.

The blonde child’s face fell and that was when Dot noticed something off with his brother. The usual black slacks his parents required of them were ripped. The white dress shirt stained a dark, almost black, color. When Bill lifted his head, amber eyes flashed with something that sent a dark chill down Dot’s back. The younger twin stepped forward and placed something on the foyer table.

Dot didn’t have a chance to look at it as his brother quickly wrapped him up in a hug. Immediately his nose wrinkled at the metallic smell that permeated from Bill’s clothes. There was something oddly familiar about that smell. Before he could figure it out Bill’s shoulders shook and it sounded as if Bill was choking.

“Hey… hey, Bill, are you alright?” Dot tried to lean back but he was stuck in his brother’s embrace.

Standing there, holding his twin, Dot’s eyes fell to the foyer table. Like most of Mother’s furniture choices it was made of dark oak with small patterns of leaves and flowers sculpted into the wood. There was a vase there filled with flowers, peonies if he remembered correctly. Mother preferred roses so it was a bit out of place for there to be anything but. Beside the vase was a blade, something from the kitchen, no bigger then the remote to the TV perhaps.

Dot looked at the blade, analyzing the serrated edges as he tried to comprehend what was wrong with this picture. At ten, Dot was not a stupid child, in fact he fancied himself quite the intellect. His brain, however, was not working for him in this moment. The blade wasn’t entirely silver and that was odd. The tip looked to have possibly chipped off, also odd. The silver sheen typically associated with the tool was also the same color as the stain on Bill’s shirt. There was a tiny pool of the color underneath the blade and Dot watched as the color gathered until it formed one fat drop and plunked downward.

“W-what did you do?” Dot held his brother tighter and that was when he noticed Bill wasn’t making choking noises, he was trying to laugh.

Gripping the white shirt as hard as he could Dot pulled his brother off of him and stared into his brother’s amber eyes. The pupil was blown and his face seemed almost euphoric with a wide grin across his face. Then, in but an instant, Bill was back, his pupils returned to their normal size and his grin fell flat. He stared at Dot and reached upwards to pull his brother into the kitchen. Without hesitance the older twin followed.

The normally white tiled floor was bathed in golden light from the window. Dot watched as Bill stepped into that light and practically glowed, like a ten year old angel. Unfortunately the sight before him was the least holy he’d ever seen.

Mother lay underneath father, her face turned away from him but an unmistakeable gash through her lovely green dress leaked life giving fluid. Small cuts littered her arms and legs only assisting in the growing pool of red on the ground. Laying partially on top of her was Father, his face was sliced from his forehead to his chin on the left side and there were several punctured wounds through his suit into the pale skin of his shoulder. Dot could just make out the tissue underneath as the serrated object that entered pulled out.

Dot fell backwards, his hands flying up to his mouth as he realized they were also stained red. He’d been hugging Bill.

For a moment they were still, Dot’s face held in a silent scream. The sound of sirens in the distant background. Were they coming here?

“What did you do?” Dot cried out again, his body trembling from the exertion not to faint.

“Mother was very angry that you weren’t home yet, Dot.” Bill’s voice was even, his eyes never leaving the mass of bodies before him. “Father hit me because I refused to collect you. I didn’t want you here, not for this. Mother grabbed me, the knife in her hand and dragged me into the kitchen. She told me if I was going to act like a bitch then I would be one. I tripped her, she fell, I grabbed the knife. Mother screamed a lot, but I ignored her the way she ignored you when you fell down the stairs yesterday.”

Bill slipped his hands into the pockets of his ripped slacks. “Father ran in and slipped on the blood, fell on top of Mother. I was quicker, I just kept hurting them. I read once that the dead release their bowels when they die. Well I wasn’t going to check but something did smell, but it might just be…”

Dot was crying his hands pushing him backwards until he was up against the wall on the other side of the kitchen. His eyes wouldn’t leave his brother’s. They were twins, the most alike people in the world, but he wasn’t seeing the boy he’d grown up with, Bill was a demon. A monster. What was Dot going to do? What was he supposed to do? Was he supposed to yell at Bill or hurt him?

The sirens only seemed to get closer and finally when they were loud enough that they were probably only minutes away Bill turned his gaze on his brother. Slowly he crept forward, his black booted feet never wavering on the slippery white tiled floor. There was almost a gracefulness, predatory. Bill was a rambunctious child, cheeky and elegantly sarcastic. He would have made a good lawyer, like Father. The way he was looking at Dot though, was so playful that it almost made Dot cry out from sheer loss of his only other family.

Before Bill could fully reach his twin a bright white light shone between them and engulfed the room. A low frequency hum sent static through the air and grew louder. Then suddenly like a balloon popping it was gone. A shimmer of color flickered in between the two brothers and they stared at one another as if they were responsible. A soft click sounded on the ground and they both looked down. Their breaths trapped somewhere between their lungs and their throats.

Between them lay a shinning gold star, it’s edges humming almost electrically in technicolor. It was beautiful and warm, it literally radiated heat. At the center of it was a slight deformity on its otherwise smooth surface. It was en eye, but it was closed, almost as if it were sleeping. Their eyes swept over the form and Bill was the first to reach down.

“It… It’s a Guardian.” he muttered. “Ow!”

Like static electricity the small being shocked him and he couldn’t help but tear up. Dot looked up at his brother with widened eyes. If it wouldn’t let Bill touch it then that must mean it was his. He had a Guardian.

  
Guardian Demons were rare and they typically came later in life, usually in someone’s teen years. Mother often talked in spite about her Sister’s Guardian a small lesser Demon of Deceit that was handy in telling her when people were lying to her. She was fifteen when she found the little fez shaped Guardian in their family garden. It was still unknown why some people had Guardians while others didn’t but it was often speculated that they came like fairy godparents at a time when humanity is often at their lowest. Apparently being a teenager is the most stressful time in a persons life.

At ten years old, this was probably the youngest anyone had received a Guardian. But if Dot had one…

“W-we’re twins… shouldn’t I have one too?” Bill barely concealed his frustration, his small fists were clenched and he probably would have struck something if it weren’t for the sirens and sounds of doors opening and slamming outside. Immediately the child’s amber eyes widened and fear took over, his hands wrapping around himself. He looked at the window, the blinds pulled a lot time ago. Then to the front door where someone was pounding on the wood.

Without another thought, Dot lifted the small star up into his hands and clutched it to his chest. He wanted to do something but he couldn’t tell if it was cry, scream, run or throw a fist in his brother’s already terrified face. He looked down at the star and then at Bill. He’d never known any other twins beside himself and Bill, so was there really a rule that both twins had to get their Guardians at the same time?

Dot yelped as Bill turned on him, hands gripping shoulders. “Dot, Dot you have to protect me. With a Guardian they’ll go easier on you. I won’t survive in a place like jail. I’ve never been alone. You won’t be alone though, you have a Guardian.”

“What?” Dot was so confused, what was his brother asking of him? Did he want him to take the blame for the mess standing only a few feet away?

“There was a disturbance reported at this address. If a Guardian is present open these doors now,” someone yelled from the other side.

Both twins stared at the star, still asleep in Dot’s grasp.

“Please, Dot?” Bill pleaded. Dot didn’t know what his brother expected of him. It wasn’t as if he could wake his parents up and tell them to punish him for Bill’s mistake. Bill’s mistake… Dot’s eyes widened and he glanced down at the sleeping star then back to his brother. He shook his head vigorously. His brother wanted him to take the blame!

Before another word could be said the front door caved in with splintering crunch sound. Bill gripped his brother and drew him in tighter, tears forming in his amber eyes making them glitter. Dot felt his brother’s lips on his ear, whispering to him, and then he was shoved onto the ground at the feet of three officers. There was a collective gasp and then Bill cried out.

“Help us, he didn’t mean to, it was an accident.”


	2. Happy Birthday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the Kudos guys! :) It makes me so happy.  
> This story is a bit more challenging because I want to convey Bill as a psychopath in his own way. Since he's not a demon bent on world destruction anymore I'm playing with a character towards destructive tendencies, narcissistic personality traits, and emotions; that last one is a big one.  
> I've got this story mostly rough drafted so I'm planning on updating once every week, or once every other week :)

“Wake up, Dot! It’s Saturday!”

A muffled sound responded to the high pitched feminine voice. Dot turned in his bed and pulled the blanket up and over his head. He didn’t want it to be Saturday, he hated Saturday. Unfortunately, he wasn’t strong enough for the demon whose small arms had gripped the blanket. With a sharp tug the blanket was off and he was exposed to the cold room. Dot turned and flopped on his back, looking up at the star.

The star, or shooting star, known as Mabel Pines wasn’t as small as the first day he’d received her as his Guardian. She was roughly the size of a house cat and had sprouted thin black arms and legs that seemed as if they were too fake to truly exist. She was warm and her one long lashed eye was always curved, as if she were smiling. Dot loved watching her move around, an iridescent light followed her like a tail and it always cheered him up if he watched long enough.

“Come on, Dot, get ready for the day. I took the liberty of putting your name down for the computer room earlier this week before it could fill up. I got you a whole three hours!” Mabel’s voice echoed, but Dot liked to think of it more like a shimmer, because it sounded voluminous instead of empty like some other Guardians’ voices did. He smiled up at her and rubbed his eyes from their sleepy state.

Bare feet met with tile and he began his morning routine before the guard would come and let him out. He looked up at the small mirror he’d been allowed and flicked the deeply colored bangs away from his eyes. The color still maintained it’s blue shine when the light hit it and her personally couldn’t help but love it. “You’d think after five years in this place I’d just cut it all off like everyone else.”

“Six.” Mabel’s voice said from inside the basket of yarn she kept at the foot of his bed.

“Hmm? Six what?” He turned to her, his hands combing through the bowl cut he started sporting about two years ago.

The small star popped up from the basket and held up a large baby blue sweater, her eye closing in delight. “Happy Birthday, Dot!”

Dot blinked at the star and quickly had to compose himself. Sixteen, he was sixteen years old? Inside he wanted to panic, the thought of having been here for a whole other year settling on his heart. Each year it seemed to get a little harder to calm down. He watched as Mabel’s hands lowered and he quickly forced a smile.

It was a great sweater, but his Guardian was a Demon of Expression, as such she was very in tune with his emotions. How he, a nerd with a limited creative mind, and Mabel, a highly spirited arts and crafts master, ended up together was a mystery to him. He thought for sure they would have nothing in common after she woke up with a rather bubbly disposition. He spent the first few days not speaking more then he needed to but eventually he cracked. In a way, Mabel’s spirit reminded him of Bill. He tried not to grit his teeth at the thought. Mabel was nothing like Bill.

“I love it, thank you.” Dot reached out for the sweater and smiled at the icon that Mabel had undoubtedly spent countless nights on -not that the Guardian slept much anyway. It was a dark blue computer floppy, it’s square shape perfectly even on all sides. She had definitely been very specific about her knitting. “Why a floppy?”

“It was easier then a full computer, plus it’s a square, like you.” Mabel giggled and he couldn’t help but laugh. The light teasing was a welcome second nature.

“Sixteen, this should have been the age you came into my life, huh?” He looked up from the sweater to his Guardian who seemed a tiny bit smaller. That happened a lot, she fluctuated in size depending on her mood or whether or not they were getting along. According to Mabel it was because her magic was tied to the bond they shared, if it was too weak then she was too. Essentially, he was a portable charger.

Mabel’s eye lingered on the grate window her small limbs vanishing from her being. This happened a lot too. Usually whenever Dot mentioned something about the time when they met or how long they’d been together. He wasn’t sure what it was about but sometimes when she did look sad she’d turn as if to talk to someone before realizing there wasn’t anyone there. He wondered for perhaps the millionth time whether Guardian Demon’s had families.

“Mabel?” Dot questioned.

The door clicked and a large man with graying hair greeted him. “Let’s go, kid, breakfast.”

Mabel swooped over in a flurry of colors and settled onto Dot’s shirt like a patch. He nodded at the man and followed him to the cafeteria. The detention center he’d been assigned to was a pretty decent place, far better then the one he’d been in till he was fourteen. There was a lot more leniency in terms of where he could wander. He was sure a lot of that had to do with Mabel though. Guardians were rare in these facilities -even more rare then outside of them- but they were fiercely protective of their charges and could be mischievous if those charges were upset.

The meal was uneventful, as was the cleanup he’d been assigned to. Mabel and he discussed, or rather bickered, about him learning to knit but she eventually gave it up again. Together they strolled over to the library to pick up a few books that he’d had his eye on and just before he was going to walk outside to the yard he was stopped. One of the few guards who had a Guardian Demon stopped him. He was a dark skinned short man who was never more then two inches from a pair of shades. Like Mabel, his Guardian opted to sit patch-like on his uniform, only this Demon embodied a shape that looked vaguely like a silver sheriffs star from old black and white films.

“Not going to the yard just yet, Dot. You’ve got a visitor.” the man said, a smile breaking out on his face. Guardsman Blubs was a good natured man but when it came to who that visitor was Dot wished the smile were less sincere.

Dot’s face was deadpanned. His gaze flickered to Mabel whose eye looked up at him questioningly. “I don’t think I want to see this particular visitor today.”

“Do you really think that’s such a good idea?” Mabel’s voice piped up. “Please, Dot? Family is family.”

“Family, yeah… right.” Dot shrugged and motioned for the guard to lead the way. He listened to the Guardian and guard in front of him whisper and laugh, they were happy. Dot hoped that he and Mabel would always be happy too, a real best friend forever.

The visiting room was fairly large, approximately twenty tables in white lacquered metal were bolted to the floor at random. They tried to obtain some semblance of privacy by keeping the tables spaced apart. There were even large windows from floor to ceiling, making it one of the brightest rooms in the entire facility besides the cafeteria. Across the room there was already a boy speaking to what looked to be his parents; they were smiling as they passed him some photos. By the color of his shirt he’d probably been brought in for theft. Not too serious a crime.

“There he is.” Mabel had pulled herself from his shirt and zoomed across to another table. Dot tried his best not to frown, for Mabel’s sake.

“Hey there Shooting Star, you’ve gotten a little bigger since I last saw you.” Bill’s smile was the infectious kind. He was a charismatic teenager and he probably knew it. His blonde hair had only gotten blonder and his skin was a golden tan from all the time he spent outside. The lean body and angular face was familiar though, Dot saw it every time he looked in the mirror. It was Bill’s eyes that really had Dot upset, they were so jovial. What gave Bill the right to waltz in here and be so damned happy?

As if just spotting him Bill stood and smiled at his brother saying, “And look at you; finally the same height again aren’t we.” For the last two years Bill had been a bit taller, probably due to his lack of being jailed.

“No Guardian yet, I see.” Dot didn’t initially walking into the room meaning to poke at that wound but he was passed the point of caring about Bill’s feelings. He was tired of getting this visit every year. After their parents’ murder Bill had been sent to live with their estranged aunt and her Guardian in Gravity Falls, Oregon. Dot stayed in California because his brother was a manipulative little bastard.

Bill’s eyes narrowed in distaste but he sat down and folded his arms over the other. “Aunt Mo says hi, she wants you to know you’re welcome when your released.”

Dot sat down as well, Mabel floating beside him with a conjured pair of knitting needles in her small hands. Looking across at his twin he remained calm and chose his next words carefully. “How’s school, Bill?”

“Dot, come one. I just want to be able to tell Aunt Mo that come Christmas the bed next to mine won’t be empty anymore. You’ve got nowhere else to go anyway.” Bill wasn’t necessarily pleading so much as trying to lay out the facts for Dot. Bill didn’t beg –too much pride for that.

“How has school been?”

With a huff and throw of his arms Bill complied. “Its fine, I get straight A’s, teachers are boring, and I skipped a grade so guess this is my senior year. Oh and, I uh,” Bill’s cheeks went a little red as the next thought that came to mind gave him high hopes. “I took a programming class; it was actually a lot more fun than I thought. I guess I can see why you like it so much.”

Dot studied his brother. He knew the other was trying to please him and in another time it might have made him forget that Bill had stolen that last cookie from his lunchbox. Right now though, he was only curious to see where his brother was standing in life.

“I’ll graduate too next year.”

“He’s wicked smart, Bill. The people here who don’t call him a nerd call him Dot Matrix.” Mabel’s voice was so proud it caused her charge to flush, his pale cheeks the color of cherries. “He’s always getting asked to help out when the security systems fail, it’s like electronics just listen to him.”

“Dot Matrix?” Bill looked at his brother and grinned, “I like it. So since it’s our last year, I guess we’ll get to finish one semester together.”

“No.” Dot stated all too suddenly. Bill halted as he was about to talk about the high school in Gravity Falls.

“What do you mean no? You can’t just not finish High School,” Bill cried.

“I can do what I want. I already talked to Aunt Mo, I called her last week. I’m going to take the test and graduate before winter break ends. I am going to stay as far away from you as I possibly can Bill. I don’t want to see you, I don’t want to hear you, I don’t even want to know you exist anymore. As far as I’m concerned I was an only child.” Dot wasn’t going to cry, but if he did it would be out of frustration not sadness.

Bill’s face was unreadable. His hands were clenching and unclenching, trying hard not to reach over and sock his brother in the face. Every year he did this, he came down to see his brother, his twin. Aunt Mo came with him until Dot was moved to this facility which was a little further north and closer to home. How absolutely ungrateful could Dot get? Where were the manners that’d been instilled in them as children? “You think this is easy for me, Dot? I go through every day alone. I don’t make friends; I barely get along with people in general. But I always remind myself of the brother who loves me, the only person I need in my life. Everything ‘wrong’ I’ve ever done in my life I did for you. Dot. You might think that what happened was out of pure whim but I was protecting you.”

The older twin had heard this spew before and he was inclined not to believe it anymore. He looked up at Mabel whose one eye was curved in confusion her needles steady. She seemed to be wrestling with herself about saying something or not. Mabel never did well under pressure -she always said that her problem solving skills usually came down to hugs and noodle art. He reached out and tapped the star on her small foot and smiled at her.

“If you haven’t noticed yet, Bill, I have a Guardian. I don’t need you to protect me or save me or be there for me anymore. All I need is Mabel and maybe I’ll call Aunt Mo during Christmas but that’s it. We’re done.” Dot stood up and walked away. It was a short clean visit that didn’t need to escalate any further. Waking up a sixteen year old in a juvenile detention facility was the turning point. Bill was a bad influence, a poisonous person he didn’t in his life. Just before leaving the room he turned noticing Mabel hadn’t followed him.

“Bill, you aren’t a bad guy, just not a very nice one. I know the way you look at people and that needs to change. Until I can deem that you are ready to change I am going to ask that you stay away from Dot, because if I see you before then it won’t be pretty.” Mabel was feeding off the frustration Dot exuded, her Demonic side obvious as iridescent sparks flickered between her fingers. “Got it?”

“Shooting Star, I-“

“No, I’ve waited a long time. And watching you now, six years later, you haven’t changed. Maybe you need to know what it really means to be alone.” With that Mabel zipped past the guards and settled back onto Dot’s shirt again. The last thing Bill heard as they exited the room was, “Happy Birthday.”

\--

“Mabel?” Dot asked. He was lying in his bed looking up at the plain ceiling, lights out having been an hour ago. After he left Bill he’d headed out to the yard for a run around the track and eventually made his way to the computer room for his three hours.

“Yeah?” Mabel popped up from the basket of yarn again, a lone piece stuck to one of her points. She shook it off and settled on the pillow beside her charge.

“When you said that you’d been waiting, did you mean you’ve been waiting for us to make up? Because I hate to break it to you but that’s not going to happen.”

There was silence for a bit. Dot observing his Guardian as she looked at him in much the same scrutinizing way she did when she couldn’t figure out how her yarn got so tangled up. Her arms folded and she seemed to let out a sigh of amused frustration. “I don’t believe that. You’re twins and that’s a really strong bond, especially where I come from. Someday Bill isn’t going to have a choice, he’s going to have the one thing he’s always wanted but I know for a fact that it won’t go well if he doesn’t truly deserve it.”

“What does he want?” Dot yawned, the warmth of Mabel being near him making him sleepy.

She smiled and pressed her warm hand on the top of Dot’s head, “What all our souls want.”

Dot’s mind was fuzzy but he fixed his Guardian with a look and readjusted his head to see her more clearly. She shone brightly but he knew she could have been brighter if she wanted to be, for his sake she she was a glimmer, her edges making colors dance along the walls like a kaleidoscope. “Mabel, can you tell me why some people have Guardians and others don’t?”

This took the small Guardian by surprise, her hand steady from where she was brushing his bangs. Slowly she retracted the arm and he watched as her form seemed to heave like a sigh. “I… I can’t. It’s a secret that is never to be revealed. We Demon’s aren’t even supposed to know it. But…” she struggled for a moment, her fingers twiddling and her bright color becoming almost pink as she spoke, “my brother knows. He knows lots of things.”

“I didn’t know demons have siblings.” Dot said, a yawn escaping his lips as his eyes closed.

“It’s complicated.” Mabel said, leaning to place her topmost point on his forehead. A warmth spread from that point, she could persuade his emotions to calm and as a result his mind. “Don’t worry about it though, one day you’ll meet him.”

Finally Dot’s easy breathing filled the room, a dreamless sleep thanks to his Guardian who kept careful watch over her charge.


	3. Alone in a Crowd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Thanks for all the Kudos guys! :3 I think I've finally decided to keep this fic at about 16 chapters, although I have an inkling it may go long- like 22 if I'm correct.  
> This will be the last real time skip by the way, everyone. I'm still halfway setting up the story and getting into the plot at the same time. Enjoy, Friends!

“Hey, if you don’t take this box of junk up to your room I’m going to chuck it in the lake back home.” The box was a mix of knick-knacks that Bill wasn’t sure he wanted, but Aunt Mo had insisted he bring them so they wouldn’t clutter the house. Of course she’d rather his apartment were cluttered, despite the fact that at eighteen Bill actually preferred to keep things clean.

Holding his arms out Bill allowed the box to be placed in his arms. The man was fairly tall, his broad shoulders looking just slightly awkward on his older frame. A square jaw and large prominent nose made him look like a bit of a rapscallion but the neat suit and fez on his head gave him an almost classic air, one that Bill had appreciated growing up. Stanley was his aunt’s Guardian, normally he stayed on top of his aunt’s snow white hair in his demon form but because they were helping Bill move into his apartment he’d opted to transform into a form Bill so rarely saw.

Guardians had stages to their looks depending on how close the bond was between Demon and Human. Apparently Stanley, or Stan, and Aunt Mo were like two peas in a pod. It was almost unheard of that the bond become so strong that the Demon could feign being human, but not so much that it didn’t happen every now and then. Aunt Mo said that it took years before it could actually happen, Stan’s form was revealed during a date that was about to go sour when she was in her mid-twenties. He protected her honor and made it known that he would always do whatever it took to keep Aunt Mo safe and happy.

“Thanks, Stan, I’ll take it up but I’ll probably end up throwing it into a dumpster.”

Stan grumbled about something and then grabbed the last suitcase, motioning for Bill to lead the way. Aunt Mo was already in the room, her slender form silhouetted in front of a window. She was helping Bill pay for the apartment, although, according to Stan, he wasn’t supposed to know that. Her cool demeanor turned to the two and huffed, “Took you two long enough, I certainly can’t be expected to do all the work now can I?”

“No ma’am,” the two responded in unison.

Stan placed the last things down before a small pop sounded and he was back to his regular fez form. He floated over and sat in his usual spot, eye looking out the window as well. Bill was going to miss this. He’d actually enjoyed growing up in Gravity Falls, he was a bit of a terror, especially after his falling out with Dot, but the two before him were always quick to put him in his place. They never went easy on him, he was a rambunctious teen and so he was treated like one.

“Aunt Mo, I know you’re going to see Dot later this week and I-“

“How do you know that?” Bill was cut off, his aunt’s slender brows raising in surprise before she stole a glance upwards. “Stan?”

“What? The kid hasn’t seen his brother in almost three years, I think he deserves to know he’s alive.” Stan had a soft spot for siblings apparently, because while he tended to be hard as nails when it came to Bill he was also very giving on the subject of his brother.

“Nevermind the old man, he’s obviously too dull to understand why you two simply won’t get along. Not now at least.” The woman tall and elegant in an almost vintage way came over and stood before her taller nephew. He gulped, but kept the haughty air he was used to as he looked down at her. Then quick as a whip she reached over and pulled his ear down to her level.

“Ow! Ow! Aunt Mo, stop, what’d I do?”

“You be good, Bill. I’m trusting you to do the right thing. Stay out of trouble and do not think for one second that I am not keeping an eye on you in some way.” She released him and turned on her heel making her way towards the door. “I’m proud to see how far you’ve gotten, but don’t think the journey is over, son.”

Standing there in his now empty apartment Bill looked around and finally just sat on the floor his back leaned up against a few random boxes. There were two bedrooms, one smaller then the other, and a bathroom in the middle. A kitchen with a stove and a microwave, no dishwasher but that was okay. The floors were all hardwood, which Bill liked, he hated vacuuming carpet. All in all it was a good space, but it was just that … space.

He looked down at his boots, their condition a little beat up since he usually used them to trudge through the forests of Gravity Falls. There wasn’t much forest here in Berkeley, California. He ran his hands through his hair, pulling at one of the golden strands in thought. His hair had grown enough that he could pull it into a small elastic at the base of his neck but he intended on getting it cut sometime in the week.

Pulling himself up he began sorting boxes. He set books up on the appropriate shelves, most of them psychology and history texts. There was a random one on hypnosis and he debated for a minute on keeping it before eventually placing it next to a book on mythology he kept for light reading. One habit he never shook was being studious, knowledge was power and Bill was always careful to have the upper hand in most situations.

After another two hours Bill finally collapsed on his bed closing his amber eyes as the light seeped in through the window. It was probably about three in the afternoon, he could use a nap. It wasn’t too quiet, which was nice because it reminded him of home. All the quiet was coming from outside though, not an occupied house, and Bill almost started searching for his cellphone but stopped, furrowing his brows over his closed eyes. There was really no one to call but Aunt Mo and he didn’t think she’d appreciate the call just after she left.

Bill had been a charismatic guy in high school, easy for people to follow. That unfortunately, was the problem. He was always seeking followers, not friends. People weren’t worth his time. He wasn’t so much a bully by the schools standards but humanity would apparently let those who stepped on them rise to the top. Just so long as the person doing the stepping was smiling along the way. As a result of this he didn’t have many friends. The numbers on his phone were purely for his entertainment.

Gravity Falls also had a high concentration of Guardian Demons. It was an anomaly, all that magic in one place, but he was his own anomaly for not having one. As a kid he’d made a friend with a girl just a few years older then him. She was the rambunctious red haired sort, her Guardian was a bit of a sullen guy but they got along well enough. He always had her best interest at heart even if he was a bit selfish about her attention. The Guardian had been a lesser demon, a sort of muse, so his magic was limited but he was still destructive. Perhaps that was why of all the Guardians in Gravity Falls he was more drawn to the pair.

Heaving a sigh, his eyes still closed Bill turned on his side. He was exhausted. Though, the thought of exhaustion felt foreign to him. He didn’t know why he felt so tired. It wasn’t a physical exhaustion that much he was certain, so it was probably mental. This was the first time he’d ever sat somewhere and truly been alone. He didn’t like it, not one bit.

After Dot was put away he always made sure to visit his brother. The first three years he visited every holiday and twice a month in summer. He only stopped on their 13th birthday because Aunt Mo was becoming stricter about what he could and couldn’t do. He had a feeling that Mabel had said something. Shooting Star was an interesting Guardian, her sunny disposition a contrast to the place where she would spend her first years in this dimension. No matter how much Dot shut him out Shooting Star always seemed willing to see him -or at least she used to.

Their 16th birthday hadn’t gone as planned. He was going to see Dot one more time before he was released in October. Like always he counted on Shooting Star to push his brother. He knew Dot still loved him -he had to. But just like every year they fought over the same thing -the noble sacrifice Bill made. Dot didn’t spend sleepless nights listening to their parents talk, plan, scheme. Dot was a good boy, he wasn’t naive Bill knew but he was blinded by a sense of duty. But now Dot was somewhere in the world and Bill was here. Dot had Mabel and Bill had no one.

It was laughable how little Bill tried to remedy that situation. He couldn’t even get along with his old roommate last semester. He’d mostly used the older freshman as an errand boy. If Bill chose not to leave the dorm then the other, Sparky, he called him, would retrieve what he wanted. In return Bill used his sweet talk and manipulative personality to persuade all the girls to desire Sparky’s person. Now that he recalled that was when he’d purchased the book on hypnosis; somewhere he had several on mentalism. Unfortunately, with the thought of the people who were no longer standing in his life came a sort of anger, but it was different. The ball that zinged about in frustration felt hollow and only served to frustrate him more.

Like a camera flash went off the back of his eyelids went red then black and a resounding pop filled the air. Instantaneously, Bill’s eyes shot open and he couldn’t help the yelp as he reeled backwards and fell off the bed. Landing on his shoulder he rolled one more time away before looking at the bed, his feet splayed out before him.

“Uhh…hi?” a voice said. It sounded youthful and, perhaps, male. The being was somewhat small, the size of a guinea pig, and a dark forest green color. There was also a large eye at the center of its oddly shaped form that look a bit like a…

“A pine tree?” Bill questioned, slowly standing up, his amber eyes unmoving from the demon.

In the blink of an eye the demon swooshed around Bill causing the teen to stand straighter. He watched the green blur, feeling something inside of him cinch and click like a seatbelt in a car -or a roller coaster. It was almost a sense of feeling together or safe. Although Bill had never felt unsafe, not once in his entire life.

Out of nowhere a book popped up in front of the Pine Tree demon and small black hands and arms that were a trademark of the Guardians came forth too. Bill had studied a lot when it came to Guardians, hoping one day that he would receive one, they didn’t come into this dimension with their arms and legs, it took a bit of time. This must have been a sign that his bond with the Pine tree was already forming, or that the demon was very strong. He’d never met a Guardian stronger then Shooting Star. Most demons he met had to take time to restore their energy after a bit of magic, Shooting Star’s energy always seemed to be infinite. Glancing over at the Pine Tree it felt as if this ones energy was also endless.

“Hmm, six foot two, that’s pretty tall. Good posture, which is great for your health lemme tell you.” The Pine Tree was still writing but he’d stopped circling Bill, the echoic voice taking on a hushed tone. “Blonde hair, natural, that’s good. Skin looks to be healthy, though you could probably use some sunscreen for the later years. And oh! Well, that’s rare in humans. An amber eye color is one of the rarest eye colors next to violet; which is typically seen in albinism but rare even then. What are you 18? Still a teen, that’s good too.”

“I’m almost 19.” Bill responded quickly before the Pine Tree shot out of the bedroom.

“Nice place you got here,” Bill ran to catch up to the Guardian and stopped when he saw it enter the empty bedroom. “Where is everyone?”

The Pine Tree floated out of the room noticing that it was indeed empty, not even a box hinting that someone else might be there. He moved over to the bookshelf noting that it was a decent selection, although there was a wide variety of subjects he could tell what it was his charge was most interested in. A learned person was an interesting person.

“There isn’t anyone else, it’s just me.” Bill took a seat on the one piece of furniture that had come with the apartment, a four person chocolate couch; something that he actually thought might be from Aunt Mo since he knew the apartments rent was lower thanks to her already.

Bill hadn’t been around when Shooting Star woke up but he’d gone to see his brother several days after the murder and the Guardian had seemed subdued; which he knew now was odd for her. So his curious Guardian’s constant flitting around was an unexpected outcome. Was he supposed to stop him? Formally introduce himself? Shake his hand?

“Bill Cipher?”

Bill’s head shot up to see his inquisitive Guardian reading a series of rather large boxes, each with the name written on it. They were used for one of his more interesting hobbies, the only hobby that he’d kept up with since he was a middle schooler and discovered it. He’d always been interested in offbeat things as a kid so he’d found something that took that and also his love for codes and went with it.

“Yeah, that’s me. Well, it’s me when I’m geocaching.”

That wide eye turned to Bill and seemed to curl into a smile of wonder. “I haven’t heard of that. What is it?”

The book appeared again in the Pine Tree’s hands, poised to write when Bill answered. “Uhm, well it’s kind of like treasure hunting. Only, instead of gold, you can find knick-knacks or pieces of information or even just really interesting hidden gems. Sometimes there’s no prize at all, the game itself is the prize. The way I play is by deciphering codes and puzzles and piecing together old folklore. Though sometimes I’ll do simpler ones where they just give out the coordinates and I track that down.”

“Hmm, Bill Cipher, geocaching, interesting.” Pine Tree finished his writing with a flourish and the old book simple vanished in a puff of smoke. “Well I guess that’s that.”

“So…” Bill just stared at the Guardian, but when he noticed it wasn’t going to say anything else he continued. “Do I just call you Pine Tree or something? It? Thing?”

If Pine Tree could have wrinkled a nose he would have and Bill saw that movement as rather amusing.

“I’m Dipper Pines, and I am a he not an it.” The Guardian huffed, arms crossing. Bill grinned.

“I like Pine Tree better.”

“Then why bother asking?”

“Well I still wanted to know your name?” There was silence for a moment before Bill took a breath and finally asked, “What took you so long?”

Dipper blinked at Bill, “What?”

“You heard me, what took so long? My brother got his Guardian when he was ten. I had to wait almost nine years, do you know how frustrating it was to live in a place where practically everyone had one except for me?” Bill’s voice was low, he didn’t shout but he felt as if he could.

“You have a brother?” Dipper looked around the apartment, Bill noting a hopeful expression in his eyes, but when he didn’t find what he was looking for he turned his attention back to Bill. “Where is he?”

Bill gritted his teeth, “He’s my twin, but we don’t talk anymore.”

“Why not?”

“That’s not the point.” This time Bill was on the verge of shouting as he stood up and came to eye level with the Guardian. “The point is I was alone and you weren’t there. I can’t see what use I have for you now.”

That did it, Dipper’s eye immediately furrowed and Bill could tell he was getting angry but he didn’t care. “You were alone? I was alone! I had no one. I was stuck in a dimension where my closest and only friends were the memories of a time when I had any. You selfish dick! The only reason I didn’t show up was probably because you didn’t follow fates plan! You weren’t really alone, Cipher, you just liked to pretend you were.”

They were fuming at this point. Both staring down one another, this Demon didn’t know anything about him. How could this be his Guardian? Weren’t they supposed to be encouraging and watchful. Shooting Star always seemed to have her best interests in Dot, she made sure Dot always smiled and made good decisions. Why couldn’t he have a Guardian like Shooting Star or even Stan? Hell he would have even taken the heartbreaking song muse of Wendy Corduroy! Gravity Falls gave him a false interpretation of what it was to have a Guardian because this most certainly was not it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enter Pine Tree!  
> :3 Kudos and Comments are most appreciated, I like to know you guys are interested because if you aren't, well, then there wouldn't be a point in writing now would there?


	4. Pine Tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter may seem a bit filler-ish but I want to try and give you guys some moments that really define the characters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone! I love hearing that you guys like this story. Most of the story is already written even though this whole story was just born of that first chapter. I needed a reason for Dot to hate Bill, because in the original AU Bill is a Demon bent on destruction and why would Dot like that? Human Bill and Human Dot posses so many difficulties to write, the same goes for Dipper and Mabel but not because their Demons but because of what they know that you, the audience doesn't. So I just want to say thank you for accepting this story for what it is and encouraging me to make sure I refine the next chapter in a timely manner :)

Bill took off his boots and slumped onto the couch leaning his head back and closing his eyes. It was his second week of school and already classwork was piling up. Admittedly it was his fault, as a Sophomore he decided to take one more extra class that he didn’t really need but thought would be fun. Unfortunately, it was fun and he’d spent more time then necessary on the assignments for that class then the others. Caught up in his thoughts he was startled when he heard a thump on the floor and his eyes snapped open.

After their argument on the first day Dipper was with him Bill was careful about what he said. The Guardian had questioned only once more about where Bill’s brother was before dropping the subject. Bill wasn’t dumb, he was going to to withhold any and all information about Dot until completely necessary. The older twin didn’t want to be acknowledged so Bill was going to do just that. Even though Bill was no good at being remotely nice, his Guardian hadn’t shirked on his duties, even once stopping a man that had taken to following Bill on his morning runs. But on the other hand the Guardian didn’t say much, he asked basic questions but for the most part they were silent with one another. Sometimes Bill would catch the Guardian watching him, he knew that Pine Tree would have to stay relatively close if he desired his power to stay intact but Bill had a speculation that that supposed fact wasn’t true.

His floor to ceiling bookshelf, which he’d spent that first day filling with his collection, was completely bare and had been for at least three days now. Dipper had childishly built a fort out of the books and every now and then the sound of scribbling could be heard. Bill didn’t know how Guardian Demon’s aged exactly, but if he could guess he would say that Dipper was still a youth. If they were on better terms, Bill might’ve enjoyed it but as it was Dipper kept to himself.

A large encyclopedia had fallen from one of the towers of the book fort. Bill chose to ignore it, simply reaching into his backpack for a notebook and his math textbook, he’d have to study for a test on Friday. Comfortable on the couch, feet in the air as he lay on his stomach he got through some of the first few problems without an issue but now he was hurting to just grasp what the problem was asking of him. After a minute of humming his frustration a shadow came over his notebook and he looked up.

“What’s up, Pine Tree?” Bill asked, Dipper’s one eye lowered to the problem on paper.

“I’m bored. Can we go to the library?”

“I have to study, maybe tomorrow.” Bill tapped on the page still looking at Dipper who finally looked up from the notebook.

“I can help you study.”

“What do you know about calculus?”

Dipper made a motion that felt like a shrug, “Don’t insult me, Cipher, I know lots of things.”

Bill smiled, sort of. Dipper had come to calling him Bill Cipher, said it fit better, and Bill had to admit he enjoyed it. “Okay, well, whats the answer to number three, Mr. All knowing?”

“I know a lot, but I’m not exactly all-knowing and nuh uh, I’ll trade you. A trip to the library and ten books for all my attention in helping you pass this test.”

“Like a deal?” Bill asked, brow raising.

Dipper’s form curled side to side in a sort of head shake, “No, a deal is too binding and a very strong word for Demons. I prefer simple trades, we don’t even have to shake on it.”

The teen couldn’t see anything bad coming of this exchange. His exceedingly curious Guardian loved to read and if Dipper managed to get him through his math class then all the better. Maybe they weren’t on the best of terms but he could at least make some use of Dipper.

“Yeah okay.”

They ended up spending three hours looking for the right books. If it weren’t that Dipper could sense where his charge was the Demon would have gotten lost from wandering off so often. Twice they’d walked in on couples trying to get some alone time in the back aisles, Bill being pushed along by Dipper. When they finally got to the librarian to check out their books Bill was exhausted and groaned when he saw the limit was four books, because who could possibly read more than that in the month they were allotted, right? Luckily one glance at Dipper and Bill was given a Guardian’s pass.

It was a well worthwhile trip because Bill passed his test with an A-.

The next week Bill had been up two nights in a row trying to finish two assignments due on the same day. Outside it was getting darker and the damp fog in the area had rolled in, but damn could he use a coffee. He’d run out of the stuff he made at home the day before and figured he could use a stretch outside anyway.

“Hey, Pine Tree, coffee run.”

“It’s a little late for coffee and you haven’t slept in a couple of days.”

Bill snorted, “Yeah, well that’s college for you. Come on.”

Emerging from his makeshift book fort Dipper, still about the size of a rodent, made to perch on Bill’s shoulder before a warm sensation formed on his chest and he saw that the Demon was now sitting flatly on the pocket of his V-neck. That was new, he knew the Guardians could do it he just hadn’t expected Dipper to want to. He’d have to look into a watch or something more suitable for Pine Tree to sit on later.

The cafe wasn’t that far so the walk was brisk. People were still out just like they were at all hours of the day but Bill didn’t want to deal with them all anymore then he had to. So pushing past the people looking for change or who were ‘lost’ he finally made it to his destination unscathed. The line was long, so impatiently Bill waited. He glanced down every now and then to watch his Guardian observe their surroundings.

“Damn this line.” Bill cursed under his breath looking around when something caught his ear.

“He’s totally your type.”

“No way, more yours. You dig blondes way more then I do.”

“True and look at how long it is. It’s the perfect length.”

“There are so many guys with long hair in this area.”

A laugh, “I know, isn’t it a utopia?”

Bill smirked, this was perfect. He took one more glance at the group in front of him still ordering their drinks (one of those study groups it looked like). Then he turned around with a smile he’d practiced way too well, perfected even.

Behind him were two girls, probably a bit older then him by the looks of it. They were sorority girls, that was obvious by their sweaters. One was fuller figured then the other, which was certainly attractive but Bill wasn’t interested in anything like that at this exact moment. Instead he was privately giddy that both girls flushed pink in the cheeks.

“Two beautiful women, right behind me. Am I lucky to have turned around or what? Looking forward to a late night, ladies?” Bill leaned forward keeping his arms on his hips where the muscle would flex slightly from the bend. In satisfaction he watched one’s eyes flit in that direction.

“We have a presentation tomorrow, we’re just making sure we can get past the next hour and a half.” the curvaceous one smiled up at him and moved her hand in front of her. “I’m Anna and this is my friend, Sam.”

He grasped her hand in his and he could tell by her voice that she was the one who thought his hair was the perfect length. Bill carefully made sure to let his hand linger in hers a bit longer then necessary, dragging his fingertips against her palm when they finally pulled away. Her eyes moved up to his and he was careful to keep them there.

“Wow, I just,” he pretended to feel flustered before continuing, “I wish I could talk to you some more. I completely forgot my wallet though so I’ve got to go.”

“Oh no no, don’t worry about that. I’ve got you.” Sam, the friend, said, nudging Anna who looked to have gone dumbstruck. Not exactly what Bill had expected but the results were similar. This Sam obviously wanted her friend to have a good hook-up; poor naïve women. He ordered his drink with them and chatted, making them laugh, as he waited. As soon as the caffeine was in his hand he leaned over to ask the barista for her pen which she willingly gave to him.

“So maybe, I could be a bit more selfish and get your number?” Enthusiastically, Anna scrawled down a series of numbers onto a napkin and Bill made a show of bringing the piece of paper to his lips before thanking the two friends and leaving.

Safely outside and sipping on the large cup of coffee Bill laughed to himself. He looked at the napkin in his hand and crumpled it into his hand.

“You aren’t going to call her?”

Bill jumped, “Shit, I forgot you were there. You’re too quiet, Pine Tree, I’m surprised you didn’t say something earlier.”

Dipper was quiet for a moment while Bill kept walking. “I was hoping you’d decide she was a nice enough girl.”

“Who says I didn’t?”

“Well, you aren’t going to call her.”

“Who says I’m not?” Bill snapped, turning his gaze down to his shirt where the large eye looked up at him with no nonsense.

“I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before but I am a Demon of Observation, what I see I know. You forgot your wallet, but you always have cash in your pocket and you are most certainly not going to call her.”

Huffing, Bill shrugged his shoulders, “I guess I won’t -got a free drink out of it though."

If Dipper could frown in this form he would. As it was Bill was insanely manipulative, to the point where he would do so without intentionally meaning to. He would just draw them in and they’d do what he wanted. Dipper couldn’t be fooled, or at least he tried not to be, it was inspiring how Bill got out of there without even having to give his name to the two girls.

“It’s not right, Bill.” Dipper said, his voice sounding sullen.

“Yeah? Well get used to it, this world owes me a lot more than a free latte.”

When they got back to the apartment Dipper retreated to his fort without so much as a goodnight. Bill ignored it, it was actually kind of funny watching his Guardian’s disapproval.

It took a whole week of nods and shrugs before Dipper would say anything more to Bill. The Demon wasn’t annoying but he definitely was frustrating. Bill was used to taking care of himself, his feelings were priority and when the inkling that perhaps he should pay more attention to his little Guardian passed through his mind he quickly shoved it out of the way. He like his routine, get up in the morning, eat something, go for a run, eat another something, run off to class, eat something, next class. Just because there was now a passenger along for the ride didn’t mean he needed to care.

So then why couldn’t he stop staring at the Guardian. Bill had been sitting at the library desk of his college for a good two hours and once he got bored he turned his eyes to the corner of the table where Dipper sat contentedly reading a book on cryptozoology. Bill found himself watching that large eye scan the pages. The eye wasn’t a trademark of Guardians, some of them had two, he’d even seen one with three but there was still something about that that belonged uniquely to them. They had no mouths to smile with or noses to wrinkle so their eyes seemed to contort and twist in ways that never failed to deliver their emotions. It was like a second sense to just know how his Guardian was feeling.

Then there were the spindly arms. He remembered Mabel and her tiny black limbs, how they felt when she would ‘boop’ his nose or ruffle his hair. Dipper’s were similar in appearance but where they as warm as Mabel’s? He’d never actually touched the other Guardian either so what did that feel like? What did Dipper feel like? His small body was all edges and angles, sharp even, compromised of two triangles atop one another and a rectangular ‘trunk’, as Bill liked to call it. Most Guardian’s took on basic shapes but why those shapes? Was it up to the charge or the Guardian?

If it were up to Bill it probably would have been an attack dog or a piranha, no, a pistol! That could be nice. But he’d gotten Dipper, a Pine Tree. Did he even… hmm.

“You think too loud.” Dipper finally said, snapping Bill out of his reverie.

Instead of letting his embarrassment show at being caught Bill leaned over and quick as a cobra snapped his hands out to grasp the other in his hands. Dipper would have shrieked but he was still conscious of the fact that they were in a library and really what was Bill going to do? He wouldn’t hurt him would he?

“W-what are you doing?” Dipper asked as he felt himself being pulled closer to the other. He could feel Bill’s warm breath on him and it tickled as well as made his completely green form flush a shade darker. It made Dipper nervous for a number of reasons and he immediately pressed his small hands against Bill’s face.

Bill didn’t flinch but his eyes did widen when he felt those hands on him. They were so incredibly soft and definitely warm, he could feel like underlying strength -similar to the tingle he felt whenever Dipper used magic around him. In his hands the Guardian wasn’t smooth or rough. He wasn’t plush either but he also wasn’t hard as stone. He felt indestructible and cuddly all at the same time with the same warmth as his fingers. Bill leaned in to fulfill the purpose of picking Dipper’s form. His lips just barely hovering on the space over Dipper’s eyes he heard the Guardian give a small yelp and then he breathed in deeply.

“Huh, you’re actually pine scented.” Bill leaned back and, still holding his Guardian, arched a brow. The smaller was so obviously flustered that it made Bill chuckle.

“I hate you.” Dipper said, wrenching himself away from the other and returning to his book. It wasn’t the first time they’d said it to each other but this time there was no underlying malice, instead it was almost a fondness. Bill hated to admit that he actually missed the way it felt to hold the Guardian close. The scent was similar to being back in Gravity Falls and everything else, well everything else felt like what it was when he still had someone who loved him.

Almost two months had passed after that, classes were going well and Bill had adjusted to Dipper’s presence. They still fought, Dipper usually about the way Bill treated people, Bill usually about the way Dipper didn’t let him treat people. Even so, the Guardian was still a Guardian. He’d stopped the apartment from burning down twice, Bill had left the stove on and passed out on the couch. He’d stopped a woman from making false accusations about Bill’s test results, she had actually been the one to cheat off of Bill. He’d also stopped the advances of a teacher that Bill had actually shown true discomfort in, that’s what had unnerved Dipper into action. He’d even prevented a burglar from getting in while Bill was asleep, which Bill only heard about the morning after.

“There was a what?” Bill almost dropped the glass of milk he was pouring, taking a glance around his apartment for anything missing.

“A burglar, but he left.” Dipper was sitting with Bill’s mythology book in his hand, floating at a leisurely pace.

“Burglars don’t just up and leave, Pine Tree, and you’re too tiny to really intimidate someone.”

“I’m not a Guardian Demon for no reason, Bill, I have magic. I can be intimidating.” The little Guardian made a motion like he was puffing out his chest.

“Did you hurt him?”

“What? No, the guy just needed something to help pay for his child support. I’m not going to hurt a guy for trying to take care of his family. I just set him straight a little.”

“But not by hurting him?” Bill’s tone was nonchalant.

“Sadist.”

“That hurt, Pine Tree. I simply have different teaching methods.”

That argument was short lived if only because Bill had to get to class.

Now Bill was tightening up his hiking boots and putting his backpack on, the one embroidered with the name Bill Cipher on the strap across his chest in faded gold thread. It was his favorite travel backpack, a gift from Aunt Mo. He’d packed the night before and Dipper was content to, watch his charge prepare for a day in the woods. Though Dipper was fairly sure there wasn’t much forest in the area.

“Where are we going?” Dipper finally questioned while Bill seemed to be looking for something in the box he pulled most of the gear out of.

“Geocaching, it’s a simple one, beginner level. I cracked the coordinates yesterday morning but I had to finish my paper so we’ll go today. Aha!” Bill held up what he’d found. It was a 4 inch in diameter white circular piece of metal. He pinned it to the strap of his bag near his shoulder and looked back up at Dipper. “I thought this would be me more convenient for you to sit on, instead of my clothes, you know since you don’t always like to float around.”

Dipper eyed the pin and thought for a minute about telling Bill that he could have morphed into a pin himself but quickly thought against it. He decided to just look at this as a good sign that maybe Bill wasn’t completely heartless. In response Dipper moved forward and made himself comfortable on his new perch and Bill grinned down at the little Guardian.

Locking up Bill pulled out his phone and put the location in. He’d have to take the BART into San Francisco but he already knew that. He’d only taken the underwater train once when he came to look at the school with Aunt Mo, since then he hadn’t seen a reason to do it again. It wasn’t too bad, a little crowded since it was the beginning of the day and people were probably going to work but he survived with little to no damage, though someone’s Guardian did fall into him when the train lurched. He just smiled at the older woman and Dipper even pipped up saying that it would have happened to him too.

It seemed that having a Guardian automatically made him this woman’s friend. There was a stigma that people with Demonic Guardian’s were generally nicer because they had a more corporeal voice telling them what was good and what was bad. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for Bill, he did manage to be nice to the woman and even flirt enough until she’d handed him a twenty so he could get himself something sweet to eat in the city. He was lucky Dipper didn’t say anything about that.

“This city’s pretty cool.” Dipper piped up as Bill looked for the right building.

“Yeah, I didn’t know whether this kind of urban stuff would be fun but it seems like there’s a lot more to this city then meets the eye.” Bill snickered.

“Are you making fun of me?”

“Of course not, I think this is it.”

They looked up at the large building and said together, “It’s a hotel?”

The both ventured inside and Bill looked around before glancing at his phone. Why would it be a hotel? There are at least one hundred rooms and he couldn’t exactly access all of them. He walked up to the front desk where a young man stood, probably about Bill’s age. He was dressed nice, a tie around his slender neck and red hair that curled around his too pale face. The moment he saw Bill approach he grinned, his cheeks slightly flushed. Bill noticed immediately and gave the guy a winning smile.

“Hey there, can I bother you for a quick question.”

“Oh, yes, of course, sir.” The guys voice was a little squeaky but he cleared his throat and corrected himself.

Bill held up his phone and pointed at the screen. “Did anyone come in here recently about these numbers?”

“Oh, uhm, no sir. We did have a fellow in here two days ago asking about whether our door numbers were really in numerological order. If that helps at all.” It didn’t, Bill frowned and huffed a bit, leaning forward against the desk and biting his lip. That did the trick, he heard the guy gulp. “C-can I help you with anything else?”

Bill sighed, “Not unless you can hook me up with a master key, but I understand that won’t be possible.”

“I could always talk to the manager.” the guys said, his curls bouncing as he bobbed his head.

“Thanks, Curly, actually if I could talk to them that’d be great.” Bill watched the red head scurry off through the door behind the counter. He hoped it was a female but when a large male stepped out Bill inwardly groaned. This guy did not have that little glimmer in his eye that most people got when they set eyes on Bill. He’d have to put a bit more effort into this one.

“Good morning sir, how can I help you?”

Bill flashed a brilliant smile, straightening himself into a more proper manner as he took in the man before him, garnering all her could. Broad shoulders, tight posture, lines under his eyes said he probably didn’t sleep much. The gelled hair seemed to be pressed in the back, and indication that he’d been leaning against something. A wedding band on his finger that was slightly tarnish from years of wear. It was actually on that note when someone else walked out of the back office, a young slender woman, probably about his and Curly’s age. She was quick to walk away but not quick enough for Bill to note the fresh lipstick, untucked shirt, or lack of a ring on her finger.

“Oh I’m sure we’ll think of something.” Bill had to wonder how he always got lucky enough to deal with people whose lives were always less than honest. His gaze lingered on the departing woman long enough for this man to notice. When Bill returned his attention to the manager the smile was replaced with a mischievous smirk. The manager’s cordial smile dropped but seemed otherwise unfazed, he wasn’t going to let Bill think he’d won anything.

Bill leaned against the desk, both elbows supporting him. “I need a master key.”

“No you don’t.” Dipper piped up from his perch. Bill looked down at his Guardian and rose a brow in curiosity. Getting the picture, Dipper elaborated, “The coordinates probably would have come with a room number to decode in order to prevent this interaction from happening. Didn’t you say this was at beginner level? They wouldn’t have made it this complicated.”

“Well then what do you suggest?”

“The roof. We can get a better look at what’s around from there.”

“Yeah, okay,” Bill felt a bit silly for nothing thinking about it but decided not to give the Guardian the satisfaction. “Can we get access to the roof, Mr. Manager?”

The manager who had been looking down at his Pine Tree in awe nodded his head. Bill didn’t know what to make of the look, though it probably had something to with with the fact that there were hardly any Guardian’s in the city from what Bill observed.

“It’s a public park, just press the PK on the elevator, it’ll take you right up.”

Bill nodded, “Thanks, and don’t think I won’t be back.” The teen’s gaze flashed to the back office and with a parting smile he left. He pretended not to notice the bead of sweat on the older man’s neck.

There was a bit of hesitation when the two silver doors opened and let out an older couple. The mirrored red and gold elevator made Bill a bit nervous, he’d never been fond of enclosed places. It was something he’d always assumed came from the years of not being allowed to move freely; confined beneath his parents watchful gaze and hand. That was in the past so logically Bill had to let it go, his body never agreed and often forced him to stand taught with bated breath till he was out of the situation.

“Why do you think they put a park on top of a hotel?” Dipper asked, it was a random question. Bill didn’t expect it but he was grateful for the distraction; not that he’d let the Guardian know that.

“I suspect that because it’s a large city there isn’t a lot of greenery. It gives the visitors a chance to not feel so overwhelmed by all the buildings.”

“You humans are very sensitive to your environment, I suppose. You don’t adapt as quickly as say, myself.”

“I can adapt,” Bill retorted, “I went from the suburbs, to the forest, to the city all before I was twenty. And I’ve been just fine in all those situations.”

“Your detached.”

“Huh?”

The doors to the elevator parted and Bill immediately stepped out, contemplating how bad it would be to walk down twenty four stories. As soon as he stepped out into the sun Dipper pulled himself off of his perch and looked his charge in the eye. Though it was curving slightly, like he was smiling.

“You detach yourself from your surroundings so that it’s like you don’t notice the difference. Like what you just did in the elevator. It made you nervous, right? Don’t worry though, I wasn’t going to let your claustrophobia get the better of you.”

Bill’s face flushed a bit but he was careful not to let it show. Just as he was about to deny the very thought that he might be claustrophobic something pink and very fast rushed his Guardian, snatching him out of the air like a karate master. Dipper’s slight squeal could have been defined as adorable had the Guardian not been a Pine Tree. Then laughter ensued and Bill was more confused then the first time a girl kissed him at school; seriously, he hadn’t even provoked her.

On the ground in front of him was a young female girl. She was probably no more then twelve or thirteen, brown hair cascading down her shoulders to the small of her back where it curled at the end. A pink headband kept the hair from her face where two bright, sparkling green eyes and rosy cheeks were. Her attire seemed a bit in contrast for the cool San Francisco weather, a skirt and a bright pink sweater with something rather familiar on it. A bright yellow shooting star tailed by a rainbow of three colors stared back at Bill. The girl continued to obliviously nuzzle his Pine Tree who he heard laughing along with her.

“Uhm, little girl,” It really couldn’t be, right?

“Mabel, Mabel! You need to stop running off like that, one of these days something is going to…” the words trailed off as the teen running to catch up with the girl stopped.

Bill remained composed, he would do his damnedest to maintain all composure. Dot and he were approximately the same height, it was nice to know. He hadn’t changed his hair since he was sixteen, though the color did seem even bluer up here in the sunlight. He was clothed in dress pants and a sweater that looked rather faded with a square on it -a familiar looking square. The last thing Bill took in was the deck of cards in his hand and the messenger bag on his shoulder embroidered in blue with the words Dot Matrix.

“Bill?” Dot couldn’t hide the slight shaking in his voice but he did manage not to stutter. He wasn’t afraid, but damned it if he was surprised, he wasn’t in the mood for this today.

“Hey, what did they call you back then? Floppy Disk.” Bill snickered pointing at the sweater Dot was wearing. Unfortunately, Dot could hide that his pale face blushed bright in embarrassment; perhaps if he spent more time in the sun like his brother obviously did that wouldn’t be a problem, but as it was Dot preferred his computers.

“Dot look!” Both heads turned as Mabel stood up and bounced over to her charge, smile wide as she held Dipper like a stuffed animal in her arms. “Meet my brother, Dipper Pines, we’re twins, just like you and Bill.”

Said twins paused as they looked down at the two before them. Bill, because Shooting Star had certainly grown and her bond with Dot was obviously undeniable in a way that made him burn with envy and Dot, because he couldn’t quite believe that Bill had actually gotten a Guardian and it wasn’t some snapping piranha trying to eat him or Mabel. Briefly a memory floated through his mind, hazy, about asking Mabel how people got their Guardians.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh snaps, the next chapter is the only one that I've currently re-written twice but I should have it completely done in time for it to come out next week. If you guys give me lots of encouragement I might even have the time to pump out two chapters next week. Thanks guys!
> 
> Side note: I'd love to know which of the moments at the beginning of the chapter was your favorite. I personally am just in love with the idea of a Guardian Demon Dipper and his little book fort. <3


	5. Family Portrait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't have a chance to edit this chapter as thoroughly as I wanted but it's mostly grammatical mistakes. Enjoy, everyone! I seriously rewrote this chapter three times but I am finally satisfied with it and I hope you guys are actually loving this because the plot is going to really reveal itself in the next couple of chapters. :)

The park spanned the entire roof. Bushes lined the perimeter with various flora that was only starting to bud in the spring season. Brickwork spiraled along the paths between grass and trees, all leading to the center where a large reflecting pool with an oversized sundial of iron and stone sat in the middle. There was a assortment of benches and wrought iron tables all surrounding the large composition, a few people were scattered around eating or drinking, some watching their children. It was a very peaceful late morning.

Bill and Dot were seated at one of the many tables. Mabel, still in her human form, her favored form actually, sat in between the two at the circular table. In her arms was Dipper, sitting comfortably on her lap content to simply be near his sister. They’d trailed over to the seats as soon as Mabel ran off again with the smaller Guardian in her hands. But now the pair of twins were sitting in a rather awkward silence.

Dipper took in Bill’s twin brother noting the differences in the two. Dot’s face was sharp, just like Bills, but while Bill’s lips often seemed to be set in a perpetual smirk Dot’s looked as if it saw more true laughter; Dipper knew it must have been Mabel’s doing. Bill was also a much more pristine dresser. Even in his jeans and hiking boots Bill wore a white dress shirt with his sleeves rolled up. His hair wavy and shoulder length was kept neat; despite the fact that Bill complained at least once a week about needing to get it cut. Dot though, his sweater was over worn and probably needed to be replaced. Black slacks instead of jeans could have made him more professional if it weren’t for the tennis shoes. All in all Dot still held himself like a business man on his day off. It was an interesting match for his sister.

“I missed you.” Mabel whispered to him. It was the only sound at the table and uncharacteristically quiet for her. Both Bill and Dot studied the two demons. The curve of Dipper’s eye, the hold of Mabel’s arms on him, the tilt towards each other like gravity insisted they be together. A memory flashed through the back of Dot’s mind, a few whispered words, his back straightened and his gaze returned back to his brother looking through the straight fringe of his bowl cut. The past should stay there.

Bill, noticing his brother’s gaze back on him, smiled at Dot, “What’s up, Floppy Disk, gonna tell me you missed me to?”

It was hard not to tense up at his words. Dot slipped his hand over to rest on top of Mabel’s head, brushing back the soft strands. Her wide green eyes had already been watching him and she offered a smile noting that his temper was rising. The benefit of her emotional manipulation was the ability to maintain his cool in almost all situations- or as Mabel liked to put it, help him see a brighter side to the situation. The last thing Dot wanted to do was yell at Bill simply because his day out had been ruined by his presence.

There was also Mabel’s brother to think about -he was still wrapping his head around this one. Dipper didn’t know much about Dot by the looks of it. The small Pine Tree Demon had wrested himself from Mabel’s grip before they settled at the table. He’d made circles around the older twin and told him that he needed more sun but had a surprising amount of muscle underneath the bulky sweater. He admired, especially, Dot’s eye color. Dot had always seen them as blue and no one else, even Mabel, said it was anything else but here was this Guardian calling them indigo. He’d flushed and smiled at the Guardian who was so charmingly inquisitive; they’d even shaken hands and introduced themselves more properly, he as Dot Matrix.

Ignoring Bill’s jest Dot answered, “I was perfectly content without you.It is a wonder to see you with someone like Dipper, he isn’t at all what I gauged your possible Guardian as.”

“Oh? What’s that supposed to mean?” Bill asked, leaning forward elbows on the table, hands crossed to make a rest for his chin.

Dot stopped himself before the word ‘murderer’ slipped passed his lips. The hesitation, however, was there and not unnoticed by his brother. Slowly, Dot removed his hand from Mabel’s hair letting it clench and unclench in his own lap. He could feel her presence beside him attempting to soothe his nerves but Dot had almost forgotten how strong an influence Bill had on him. There was always a part of him torn between wanting to be his brother and the victim.

“I suppose I had imagined a piranha or something.”

Bill chuckled dryly, “Well, apparently Pine Tree can be pretty vicious, I haven’t exactly seen proof of it though. But they are demons, Dot.”

“Guardians, Bill,” Dot ground out, flinching visibly at the sound of his name.

“Guardian Demons.” Mabel piped up, her voice ever bright and the smile nearly infectious -nearly. She scratched lightly against one of her brother’s edges and took a deep breath, before she spoke again. “Dot, maybe try not attacking Bill?”

“Thank you, Shooting Star.” The blonde grinned.

“And, Bill, maybe stop acting like a jerk?”

“W-what? I’m not a jerk, I’m honest.” Bill shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant motion, tossing a few of the shorter hairs back as he did. It caught the attention of a couple of female tourists on the roof who were taking selfies against the cities skyscraper backdrop. Their small giggles heard from the distance. He directed a wink in their direction, one of them turning away immediately and the other waving more enthusiastically.

“No, you’re a jerk.” The Guardian’s said in unison, their faces deadpanned.

Bill returned his gaze to them. “Seriously, Pine Tree, shouldn’t you be on my side?”

“And do what? Guard you from the truth? I mean if the game here is honesty then I haven’t done anything wrong.”

A muffled sound caught Mabel’s attention and she looked to see Dot’s hand over his mouth. She always loved to see him laugh. They did a lot of that together but she’d been slightly worried when she sensed her brother’s presence on the roof. Mabel had been waiting for the day when everything would fall into place and she’d get to see her brother again. She’d always imagined that Dot and Bill would make up and the four of them could have fun together going on hikes, swimming, trying karaoke; but it seemed Bill’s personality hadn’t changed as much as Mabel thought it might.

“So why don’t they talk anyway?” Dipper’s one eye looked upwards from his spot on Mabel’s lap. Immediately Dot’s back stiffened and he noted that Bill wasn’t leaning over the table anymore, both of them awaiting Mabel’s next words.

“Oh, I told Bill to stay away from Dot or I’d hurt him.” It was a wonder that the Guardian could say it without any semblance of remorse. In fact her lips maintained a smile and she didn’t seem at all perturbed when her brother lifted from his seat and turned to float in front of her. She blinked once, twice, before laughing as she noted the small noises coming from her brother trying to grasp the right words. “Oh come on bro-bro, I probably just would have made him burp glitter for a month or whatever.”

Bill’s hand went to his mouth at the thought of how that idea would even work? Was that magic even possible for this Guardian? He knew Mabel was powerful but in all reality his knowledge was limited to the times he visited his brother and what Dot allowed to be said in that time. His eyes shifted to Dipper still floating in front of his sister. On that note, how powerful was Pine Tree exactly?

The sun above was slowly shifting higher in the sky. It hadn’t been more then half an hour really but to the brother’s it felt like so much longer. Every now and then a group of tourists would pass, a few older men who were occupying a few tables would laugh a bit too loud, or a child would cry for attention. The setting was so utterly mundane that the four of them seemed to draw more attention then Bill or Dot was comfortable with. People passing would linger on the two equally attractive humans (Dot flushed when a girl passing by winked at him) and scurry when the unfamiliar sight of the two Guardian’s put their eyes on them.

“But… why?” Dipper finally said, his form floating over to perch on Bill’s shoulder much to everyone’s surprise, including his own. It seemed that the instinct to protect his charge was still in tact. He could dislike a lot of things about Bill, perhaps he could even hate him, but Dipper knew there would always be this instinct; this draw. He’d heard from Guardian Demon’s who’d had many charges before what it was like to be so devoted to these humans but it was different feeling it himself.

Mabel glanced over at Dot, when she felt his emotions bristle in a wave of panic and frustration. Her ever observant brother noticed it too and she was sure the uneasiness showed on her face. There was something in Dot’s stance that reminded her of a time when they were still getting used to each other, when everything about Dot was still a mystery to her. She didn’t like that, they’d been together to long for him to be holding secrets from her. But how could he hold secrets when she was with him almost every second of the day?

Tearing herself away from Dot she turned to her brother and Bill, puffing out her chest like a proud Guardian. “I’m sorry, Dipper but Bill just wasn’t any good for Dot. If you could have just seen him. I mean, you’re here, so that must mean something; that he wants to change or-”

“I was in jail.” Dot said, cutting off Mabel, vision fixed on his brother. Bill didn’t seem to react but, to be honest, Dot hadn’t expected him to. Dipper, on the other hand, shot his sister a look who avoided him in favor of watching the raven haired twin.

“How does that work? You aren’t lying, from what I can see. Bill’s kind of a jerk and you seem to be kind of, well, not. ”

“Any other questions you have can be directed at Bill.” Dot said with finality. Anger quickly displaced any other emotion that had been there prior. His visage hardening. Who was Dot to try and displace his Pine Tree’s sense of duty to him?

Dot directed another question at the small Guardian, eyes never leaving his twin and watching the blonde’s pupils reduce in size due to frustration. “How long have you been with him, Dipper?”

The question was so sudden and off the topic Dipper wanted that he was taken aback. The Guardian felt something surge through him, it was unfamiliar, something he hadn’t felt before in his entire existence; at least that he could recall. The sensation was warm. Not inviting and not foreboding, but comfortable like a blanket. He realized in a very sudden wave that Bill was trying to put his trust in him. Dipper’s eye flitted to look at his charge’s profile, watching as those all to amber hues never once left his brother. Hands unwavering, even so there was a muscle in his forearm that twitched. Bill was like an animal ready to spring, but not at his prey; he was in a fight of flight situation and Dipper picked up on it.

These conclusions never took long for Dipper to come to, it was a part of his power, his signature as a Demon to learn and see, then utilize that information in any way he deemed fit. In an instant Dipper could debunk theories from shoddy hypothesis or bring down civilizations with just one word in the right ear, picking out the weakest link on sight. But right now he was a Guardian and he had a charge. Even if that charge was Bill he couldn’t deny the warmth of security and trust that was being pumped into him, though the human might be completely oblivious.

“Three months, two weeks and four days,” Dipper responded, when he finally turned his attention back to Dot. Mabel flinched inwardly, she saw Dipper picking his side in this battle and felt the way Bill’s frustration was building with each second. She lover her brother and Dipper loved his sister, but a Guardian’s job was absolute; no one knew better then these two the truth of the matter.

Dot sight and stood up, “Then you don’t know Bill like I do, did. Let’s go, Mabel.”

At this both Guardian’s glanced at one another and if sorrow could be tangible in that moment the amount would be overbearing. Mabel had waited for nine years in this dimension to see her brother again and now that she found him they wouldn’t be staying together. Dipper had spent nine years in waiting. His other half completely unreachable to him. Then he’d been greeted upon awakening to the knowledge that his sister would not be part of his disgruntled charge’s life. Unsteadily, Mabel rose, her form seemed to shimmer and waver before a sudden iridescent light engulfed her and she was but a star again. Her one eye longingly watching her brother before she flew forward and wrapped her arms around him. Tears that glistened like opals fell from that one eye.

The display seemed to leave Bill unfazed, his only thought a wondering about how a Guardian’s tears worked. He listened to Dipper hush his sister with soft whispers and something did stir, but not anguish or sadness; jealousy and envy stood at attention. Dot, on the other hand, was at a loss. What more could he do? Mabel had been the only piece of sunshine in his otherwise dark life, yet here he was taking her from her brother. Why did Dipper have to be with Bill? Bill surely didn’t deserve to be anywhere near a Guardian, let alone his; Mabel could be so easily swayed and manipulated, she was powerful but so trusting and caring. This was for the best.

“What are you even doing here, Matrix?” Bill’s voice slithered its way to Dot and a shiver ran down the young man’s spine. The use of that name meant Bill was acknowledging him and his new life, a life without Bill.

There was something different suddenly. Around them the world proceeded go on. Men, women, and children made their appearance on the roof and took their leave. The sounds of laughter and chatter sounded, nothing was amiss in the world. Alas, there was a shift, so instantaneous that Dot gripped the side of the table he’d just stood from. It had to be Bill.

He wasn’t wrong, one glance at the two Guardians and he knew there was something amiss. Mabel’s iridescent colors had become muted, something Dot noticed would happen when she was concentrating. Dipper on the other hand, his eye had become startlingly wide as if he’d made some sort of discovery, one that he was both in awe and fear of.

Bill’s countenance had become entirely ominous, and for a moment Dot had to shake off the feeling of being ten years old, standing in his parents’ kitchen. The younger twin had leaned back into his chair and slipped an ankle over his knee, hands intertwined before him and elbows leaning on the arms of the seat. Even in jeans and hiking boots Bill looked like a force to be reckoned with. Half lidded amber eyes looked up at the standing twin and suddenly whatever height advantage Dot thought he may have had vanished.

“Last I heard,” Bill’s voice was like a silk wrapped blade; it could brush over someone with the softness of a butterfly wing but there was still the danger that if you pressed hard enough it would hurt. “Last I knew, you would be staying as far away from me as possible. Sure enough, our Aunt would have informed you where I was going to school. I have been here a full year without even a whisper of your existence. Are you sure you aren’t willingly exposing yourself to me?”

There was a pause before Dot answered. He had been informed where Bill would be going to school, but he’d already settled into his life in the city. The idea of getting up and moving seemed counterproductive to settling into a normal life. Besides, he’d hoped San Francisco would be big enough to shield him. Dot hardly ever traveled to Berkeley. Oakland was as far as he went and that was just because Mabel liked the art scene there. By staying, had he subconsciously tried to be closer to his brother? Was he willingly putting himself in this situation? No, Dot wanted nothing to do with him.

“I will not give in to your delusions… Cipher.” The name that Dot read off the strap on the other’s bag didn’t have the desired effect. He was trying to throw Bill off, but all that he managed to do was cause a cheshire like grin to spread across Bill’s face. It was unnerving and so very familiar to another time. But he strengthened his resolve and pulled the deck of cards that he’d had before from his pocket, shuffling them. “I’m here to collect on a few bets, no more no less. If anything I should ask why you’re here. I’ve certainly never seen you here before.”

The grin didn’t budge. Dipper watched and felt as something clicked in Bill, a piece of information that he’d learned and was storing for future use; Dot came to this roof top often.

“Betting is illegal for the underaged,” Bill said. He moved to stand and turned his gaze briefly to Dipper, nodding a sign that the Guardian took as ‘let’s go’. “But then I suppose, once a criminal always a criminal.”

Just like that Dot deflated. Any argument that he was building up inside now seemed invalid. A criminal, that’s what he was. Dot knew the truth of the matter but he knew that criminal was his label, the name tag that he would always wear on the front of his shirt. He had done time and no one would ever seem him for anything more then that. All because of this boy right in front of him. Whatever name they shared had been erased a long time ago when Dot had confirmed his name as Dot Matrix upon release and he’d been relieved. There had never been a more satisfying feeling then stepping out into the world without the pressures of others.

Bill left his brother with those last words. Dipper had gripped his sister’s hand a little tighter whispering to her, “I love you.” She’d muffled it back but even the small Guardian could feel the rage she was emitting when her one eye settled on Bill. If she’d tried to do something Dipper would defend his charge, she knew this.

In the elevator Dipper watched as Bill regulated his breathing, the smirk as he passed the hotel manager, and finally the slump in his shoulders two blocks away. It was as if someone flicked a switch inside the teenager. The golden shimmer in his amber eyes dulled, the confident posture became more relaxed, and Dipper would even argue that the teen had become almost shadow-like. He remained silent on the BART back to Berkeley, on the bus back to their part of the college town, while grabbing dinner from a Thai food place, and even up until he was seated on the couch of his apartment living room. Dipper didn’t say anything either.

The Guardian simply did what he was good at, he observed and gathered information. A breeze of cool Bay Area air swept in from the open window and Dipper reminded himself that it would need to be closed while Bill slept. Said human was munching on a piece of beef and staring idly at a worn copy of what looked to be an anatomy text book. Dipper wasn’t used to this side of Bill. The air around the golden teen was usually warm and full of life, his mouth muttering things of imagination or academia; in this way Bill reminded him of Mabel at times. It was that Bill, who could also be the manipulative Bill, that Dipper watched with a mix of admiration and contempt. Unfortunately, this was new territory and his charge was anything but the sharing type. He had never seen the dark and suave Bill that sent a chill through Dipper’s form or this quiet, somber one and both of them Dipper couldn’t make heads or tail of, let alone know what to feel.

“Pine Tree,” Bill’s voice was hoarse as he spoke. “What is Shooting Star like?”

Dipper, who had been sitting idly on the coffee table with his journal in hand, quirked the upper part of his tree-shaped form to the side. “Shooting- Oh! Mabel? Well you saw her, she’s very lively and loud. She doesn’t always have a filter on what she says or what she does, actually.”

“No,” Bill said, lowering the tray of food and straightening his back a bit more. “I know all that, her personality is very bright. What I mean is, you Guardian Demon’s all have these abilities, most of which you all share and others which are specific to you. My Aunt Mo, her Guardian is a Demon of Deceit, and I hear those are fairly common; but nonetheless great companions as they cannot lie to their charge but can detect a persons true intent simply by the words spoken. I knew another, a Demon of Music -I always found it weird since I suspected it was more an angelic thing, music.”

The tone of the teen’s voice was almost scholarly, and Dipper had to respect it. Bill had an obvious interest in Guardians. “When I first met Shooting Star she mentioned being a Demon of Expression, her abilities lay in emotions and I tried to look them up but too little was known of them. Likewise, there is no account of a Demon of Observation, but for now lets focus on your sister. Can she alter emotions or void them? Can she change a person’s perception? We are human and as such base more then half of our decisions on emotions.”

Dipper blinked a couple of times but it didn’t take long before Bill had suddenly dropped his Thai food on the table, scrambling over the arm of the couch. The tall lamp on that side falling over   
and breaking the lightbulb. It wasn’t too late in the day but the evening fog had crept in and cast a diffused shade of red on the room. Now the brightest light was emitting from the normally calm green of his Guardian, but now it was almost sickly, form elongated and eye stretching in anger, iris discolored and frightening.

“Are you insinuating that my sister is manipulating your brother? That’s rich coming from you, Bill. I would have you know something about a Demon of Observation, as you seem to be lacking that knowledge. I alone can change a person’s perception of another, no emotion is as strong as what can be seen in front of a person’s face. Reality is no illusion and everything that can be seen or has been seen is my power. Mabel is sweet and kind, she is fiercely protective of those she cares about and wants only happiness for them. If she saw good reason to keep you away then you must have been really bad for, Dot.”

“Pine Tree, wait.”

“For what? What are you hiding from me, Bill?”

The question slipped and both of them paused. Dipper’s form shrinking back to a more comfortable size, his power depleted from rage -the way things were going with Bill it was hard to say when Dipper would be able to maintain a form like that for very long. It had been bothering Dipper. Dot was so unwilling to elaborate any more about anything and it bugged him. Did Mabel know? She would have to know, she’d been with Dot since he was ten after all. Yet, she hadn’t tried to pass on any information, she was loyal and Dipper understood that. Bill, on the other hand, was always hiding things from Dipper. No matter how much Dipper watched Bill, the teen’s moves were unpredictable. It was infuriating and something else entirely. But mostly, it made Dipper feel hopeless. There was so much that the Guardian already knew and not knowing anything about Bill after almost four months was starting to hurt; watching Mabel with Dot had hurt.

Bill stood, eyes watching the small Guardian before determining that the threat was no longer present. There was no heat of anger in the frigid evening air that drifted throughout the room. Even though Dipper was not affected by heat or cold, he felt it. In the brisk walk that Bill took to his bedroom, in the force behind the slamming door, in the silence of the living room. It left Dipper wondering if perhaps his protectiveness over his sister was not going to allow him to do his duty. Something very deep inside his being was straining to make heads or tails of what to do next. As a Guardian, no, as a Demon, he should be able to have a more certain control over his emotions but Bill was not what he’d expected.


	6. Dream a Little Dream of Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to Dot, going to get a bit more insight on what makes Dot tick :) This will be useful stuff to remember. That is all :)

Voices drifted from outside the door. Most of it was yelling and a few barely audible whispers. The room wasn’t cold but goosebumps started to raise on the ten year old’s arms. He leaned against the cool surface of a metal table, his head was bent over the cradle his arms formed; gazing at the small star shaped demon. His tennis shoes had been taken from him, leaving socked feet to kick inches from the floor. The coppery smell of blood lingered on his clothes, it surely stained his favorite blue button up. He wished he’d been allowed to change before they took him; before they took both of them.

The soft click of a door opening sounded, revealing a tall man with dark hair that was slicked back and slightly graying. Hooded brown eyes looked down at the boy without a note of expression. Following him was a what looked to be a floating black shield, a single eye looking over the room. Dot didn’t have very many experiences with Guardian Demons but he knew that they often didn’t leave their charge’s side and were fiercely protective.

“Hello, my name is Detective Powers and this is Trigger, he is my Guardian. I see you have one too, Donatello.” Dot flinched at the use of his name and shook his head, “What’s their name?”

“My name is Dot,” he started quietly, his eyes not meeting the man’s. “And I don’t know what their name is. How long did it take for your Guardian demon to wake up?”

“Wake up?” Detective Powers asked.

“They just popped up today and now they aren’t waking up. Is that supposed to happen?”

“I suppose it’s different for every Guardian.” Dot looked up, tears clinging to the edges of his eyes. With a shake of his head Detective Powers sat across from Dot and leaned forward placing a file between them. “Do you know why you’re here, Dot?”

Without missing a beat Dot responded, “Because my parents are dead.”

Detective Powers nodded, “Why is that?”

“Because they were killed.”

“Who killed them, Dot?”

Dot was quiet, but his whole being began to shake. His breath quickened and his hands carefully set the small star down before lying palms flat on the table. Trigger instinctively leaned towards his partner. A soft muttered sound escaped Dot’s lips.

“Come again?”

“I did.”

Detective Powers and Trigger looked at one another. Trigger nodded, signaling to his charge that the boy was telling the truth.

Why wouldn’t it be? Dot should have seen it coming. Who knew Bill better then his own twin? Who should have been there instead of wandering off to the library like a selfish brat? He should have taken Bill with him but the younger twin always whined and complained about Dot taking too long. Dot knew he brother was angry and sad. He didn’t know his brother was a killer. If he’d only paid more attention to his brother instead of trying to please his parents then maybe they wouldn’t be in this situation. Maybe Mother would be in Father’s study drinking wine right now while he and Bill ate dinner. It wasn’t ideal but it was home. He practically handed Bill the knife, no one suspects sweet, quiet Dot. Bill changed that.

A choked laugh escaped the ten year old and suddenly he threw his head back. “I hate him!” he cried maniacally, his pupils pinpricks of black against blue. “I hate him! I’ll kill him, he deserves it!”

The laughter continued to ensue until someone finally came and grasped Dot. He had been so calm when they collected him. He had not objected to being brought in or even against the words his brother said. But it looked as if Dot had cracked and with the star once more against his chest and tranquilizer in his blood he was hauled off. Blue eyes managed to catch one more glimpse of blonde hair before finally slipping to black.

  
The rec room was spacious. Walls were painted in a calm sky blue and covered in posters. There were books, beanbag chairs, and tables. Puzzles and books lay strewn about and there were some board games occupied by others. The static of a TV in the corner of the room was playing some obnoxious cartoon and the thump, thump, thump of a ball being tossed against one of the walls resounded around the room. It seemed like a quaint place, if it weren’t for the bars on the high windows or the guards stationed at each door.

It had been nine days since Dot had come to this place, but it was his first time sitting amongst the other kids; solitary had been quiet and verily more pleasurable then this. The small star in his hands still hadn’t opened their eye and Dot was beginning to wonder if his Guardian was defective.

“Hello there,” the voice, soft and feminine, had a slight southern drawl. It came from Dot’s side and he quickly pulled his Guardian close to him. He looked up at a girl, who was probably no more then twelve or thirteen. She had pale blonde hair, so white that it looked to reflect the colors of the room and turned her into a living rainbow. Her eyes were a steady blue-gray color but Dot wondered if maybe the blue was reflecting the room too. She wore the uniform of an patient, like him, but her demure demeanor looked like it belonged amidst a group of choir children.

“Hi,” Dot muttered back, he wished his hair were longer so he could brush it into his eyes and hide from the girl.

The girl flitted over to the other side of the table Dot was at and seated herself. She moved like a dancer. “You’re new here, it’s okay to be shy. I’m Krystin -Wow! Is that a Guardian, I’ve never seen one up close. Are they yours? Silly me, of course they are. What’s their name?”

Dot shrugged, “I don’t know. They haven’t woken up yet.”

“Oh,” Krystin tilted her head, the curtain of hair falling into her face. She pffed it away with a small laugh. Dot smiled small. “Well, what’s your name?”

“Dot.”

She waited for a moment as if there was more before continuing. “Well that’s interesting. It’s unique actually. I like it. What are you doing here for? You’re kind of young.”

“So are you.” Dot said, his voice was getting a little stronger but there was no malice. It was just nice talking to someone, even if the questions were uncomfortable.

Krystin laughed, a light lilting sound. She leaned forward placing her head in her hands. “I am thirteen, but you’re, hmm.” She seemed to look at him a little more intensely and Dot felt suddenly very violated. “Ten, actually you just turned ten at the beginning of the summer. June twentieth?”

Dot smiled a little wider, “Twenty-first actually, but that was amazing. How did you know?”

Her cheeks were tinged a light pink. “It’s why I’m in here. I just know things.”

“Like a psychic?” Dot asked, his eyes widening in wonder.

“That’s not exactly the word they used when they put me here.” Krystin’s delicate finger pressed against her lips. “I’m supposed to be released in a month. So don’t say anything okay.”

“Why would you risk telling me then?”

“You won’t tell anyone because you believe me.” They shared a smile. Despite the click of footsteps around them and the smell of pudding from somewhere down one of the white halls Dot felt all of it melt away. Not physically of course. There was this invisible warm bubble that wrapped around them and the only word Dot could think of was kinship.

“So you know why I’m here, Dot. What about you?” Krystin pulled over some loose papers from one of the tables behind her and some crayons. She divided the colors between them.

Dot couldn’t hide the frown when it came to his lips. The small star lay on the table, tucked in the crook of one of his arms. He looked down at the Guardian and started sketching a shape on the paper. “Can’t you…” Dot muttered so low that Krystin almost hadn’t caught it.

“I …” Krystin frowned now, stopping in her coloring. “No, when someone’s feelings are too dark I get so overwhelmed and it kind of hurts my head. That’s why I came over here.”

Dot snapped his head up, “Because I made your head hurt?”

She nodded, “Yes, but I wanted to make you feel better and I thought maybe if I knew what was bothering you I could cheer you up.”

“My parents are dead.” Dot said, his eyes never leaving his paper. Though his hand had stilled.

Krystin didn’t question it she’d simply nodded and asked him if he played any instruments. She played the guitar. For a month they talked about their hobbies and the things they liked to do. Krystin mentioned how she’d lived with her parents in Georgia until they’d passed away in a plane crash that she’d predicted and was sent to California to live with her grandma. Dot mentioned how he’d grown up in California and liked computers; he never mentioned his parents or his brother. The day after Krystin was released Dot ended up back in solitary. He’d tried to explain how one of the boys ended up locked in a closet naked over a lost bet.

  
“Good morning!”

Dot yelled and rolled off of the thin mattress he’d been provided. The room wasn’t a blaring white but it’s eggshell color was illuminated even more now as something shone brighter then the window or lone lightbulb overhead. Tossing the blanket off of him he turned towards the source and gaped. His Guardian was awake.

“I’m Mabel Pines and you’re absolutely adorable! They always told me you’d be a little older but I like this way better!” The star swooped around, her rainbow trail captivating Dot. “What about you?”

“M-me?” Dot asked, never rising from the ground.

“Your name, silly!”

One thing Dot noted right away was that Mabel was very loud. She reminded him of Bill.

“Dot.”

Mabel paused her flying around the room and took a better look at Dot. She came and floated before her charge, taking in the features that were so uniquely him. Instantly, she felt for this boy. “I love your name.”

Bill had given him that name. His parents had given him Donatello, but he didn’t have them anymore.

After noticing that Dot wasn’t going to say anymore Mabel tried again, “So where are we?”

“… a mental facility.” Dot muttered.

Mabel’s one eye widened. “Well I knew I’d end up here eventually but why are you here?”

“Myparentsaredead.” Dot said all at once in what was probably the most quiet voice he’d ever used. Luckily, Mabel was a pro at stringing nonsensical sounds (and words) together. This meant only one thing and Mabel instantly felt a pang of unbearable pain sear through her as she attempted to touch the bond between them. It was based on emotion, their bond, and it would be dangerous to both of them if she tried anything too big while it was this damaged.

“I’m here now.” Mabel said. Guardian Demons didn’t get to pick their charges, there wasn’t a matchmaker in the background, it was just one of those things that they were set out into this dimension for. Dipper had mentioned once to Mabel that there was a secret behind it all but he couldn’t tell her until he knew more. Mabel hated secrets between them but he promised that if it ever became dangerous she would know. Coming to this dimension, waking up without Dipper beside her, and putting together that her new charge was a murderer made Mabel wish she’d been more persistent with her brother.

“You were asleep for a very long time.”

The words pierced through Mabel’s thoughts and her eye drooped in a signal of frowning. “I think I was weak. It happens sometimes when a bond isn’t being forged properly.”

“I thought I … that you were.” Dot’s eyes welled into tears and Mabel leaned forward to capture one as it leaked. Dot flinched back at her warm hand. “Everyone around me dies.” It was so hollow sounding and the last words Dot said that day. Mabel tried to fill the silence but without knowing much about her charge it was hard. She did learn she’d been asleep for a month; she didn’t think that was normal for a Guardian but she had no one else to ask.

When the guards and doctors realized that Dot’s Guardian had woken up they started becoming more lenient with the boy. Mabel’s job was to watch over Dot, to ensure he made the right decisions and stayed safe. He was allowed to have more blankets and learn to sew in his own room. He couldn’t harm himself with someone watching him. They gave Dot more to eat when Mabel complained that Dot was getting to skinny. A guard had run out to buy a book on learning Spanish because Dot had mentioned to Mabel in a small comment that he was interested.

It took almost five months before Dot would say more then two sentences to Mabel but when he did their bond took off. Dot began to love Mabel, she was his entire world. She wasn’t like Bill at all. Mabel was warm and fun, like sunshine while his brother was like the moon, whose light was a lie, a borrowed reflectivity from the sun. She knew everything about him, almost. When Bill came around he requested she wait outside the room but on his fourth visit he knew that hiding Mabel forever was pointless. They got along, his Guardian and twin. But as far as Mabel would ever know he killed his parents. Dot was the murderer.

Bill was his twin brother, a jerk, rude, narcissistic, and extremely charismatic. He was also the reason Dot murdered his parents. At least according to Mabel. Because if he could convince her that Bill was a bad person for him, that he made Dot do bad things, then he’d have help keeping the blonde away. Mabel accepted the younger twin already but Dot didn’t want Bill anywhere near someone like Mabel, snuffing out her light.

Suddenly, Dot wasn’t sitting in his room talking to Mabel about what kind of yarns she should ask the guard for. Suddenly, he was standing in the kitchen of his old home with his brother’s arms around him and loosening. Dot knew what was going to happen next, it replayed in his head at least once a day. He was shoved backwards and the only sound he could hear was the sound of his brother’s whisper in his ear. Even while the bustle of cops and static from walkie-talkies filled the room, it was all he could hear.

  
Dot shot up on his bed and threw one hand to his throat. It was how he stopped himself from screaming out in the night. As daylight filtered in through the curtains of the window Dot figured it was about time to wake up anyway. His bedroom was in it’s usual state but the dream had shaken him. It had been a while since he’d dreamt of any of those things; a long while. He moved to lift the blanket off of him only to notice that it was caught on something.

Lying curled up around a giant stuffed pig named Cuddles was Mabel. Dot smiled. She normally didn’t sleep, especially when she was in her demon form, but she said once that she liked dreaming and that was only achieved in this form. Her brown hair was tangled curls and he lovingly picked at one. His heart swelled. The way he felt for Mabel was the way he always imagined having a little sister would be like. She did her job and protected him but that protection was at a more emotional level since he wasn’t much of a daredevil. She made sure he never slipped into depression or worse. Dot, on the other hand, stopped her near exuberant look on life from turning into dangerous or awkward situations. She did her job well but Dot was sure the Fates made sure he was just as capable of protecting her.

When he did manage to pull himself out from under the covers and into the bathroom he took a glance at the clock. It was seven in the morning, not terribly early, but early enough to be weird. Maybe he should go back to bed. He quickly thought against it as his brother’s whispered words flitted through his head. He didn’t want to go back to that. Instead he opted to take a shower and quietly went back to his room to grab clothes. One glance at his bed said Mabel was still asleep.

Mabel. His sweet, imaginative Guardian. She was a handful that one. Life was going so well for the two of them; was being the operative word here. He never expected Bill to get a Guardian Demon, he also never expected to find Bill anywhere near San Francisco. He always assumed his brother would find his way to New York, anywhere really where he could make a name for himself. They’d always talked about being larger than life as children. But now here he was and with Mabel’s twin brother no less; though, what the relationship between a pine tree and shooting star was he didn’t understand.

He was a criminal with a probation officer and a Guardian Demon. Dot thought he’d made it clear to Mabel that Bill only made him do bad things. Having a Guardian doesn’t change who Bill is, he still seemed like the same self-centered prick he’d been on their sixteenth birthday. Did Mabel have so much naïve faith in Dipper that her sense of duty was clouded?

Dot stopped himself, pausing in his endeavors to wash his hair. Was he really standing here and thinking to himself that he would murder if he stayed near Bill for much longer? Since when had Dot ever hurt more then a random fly or spider? Had he talked himself into the role of the murderer for so long that he now believed it?

The thought was scary.

“Dot! I’m cooking!”

Mabel was awake and at the sound of her words Dot turned off the water. He dried and dressed as fast as he could then ran to the kitchen. He was not going to eat confetti stuffed waffles again!


	7. Slice of Haven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've been slacking. School took priority. But here's a slightly longer-ish chapter.  
> I am actually very happy with how this story is writing itself and I'm glad everyone else is liking it too. Thank you so much everyone. I was just someone totally in love with the idea of the Demonic Guardians AU and wanted an outlet.
> 
> Enjoy a little bit more Dot time and some world building, because I've decided this fic is going to be a two parter and there's a lot more information when that comes into play.

For the fourth time that morning Dot tried to catch his head as he leaned to far forward over his desk. Normally, he studiously took notes but as this was a math class and he felt fairly confident in the subject his eyes were having a hard time staying open. The table he sat at wobbled slightly, which caught the attention of the boy sitting in front of him. Some kid named James, or whatever, turned his head slightly to look back. Dot followed his gaze beside him to look at the small brunette.

Mabel had a tendency to wander off during his math class, usually to right outside the window where she could sit in the sun and practice cartwheels. Today she opted to sit beside him and make what looked like jewelry. The wobble had come from her leaning her elbows on the top for a more steady hand. James Whatshisname quirked an eyebrow and then glanced up at Dot before turning back around to face the professor. Mabel was an oddity and it had never really bothered Dot before but he also hadn’t been sleeping well this last week and everything was irking him.

It wasn’t just that Mabel was bright and a bit louder then most or even that she was a Guardian. There were a few on San Francisco State’s campus, Mabel had identified as many as twelve. The difference was that they almost always stuck to their Demon forms. Mabel liked being able to walk and make clothes for herself. She enjoyed eating snacks and getting scraped knees (that healed almost instantaneously). Mabel just liked to live and it was apparently an oddity amongst Guardian Demons.

“What’s that for?” Dot whispered, bored with the math jargon.

Mabel turned her bright smile upwards and held up the pendant she was working on. It was plain, for Mabel at least; a pendant made of silver with burned symbols on it. “It’ll be for you when i’m done. I’m not as good at spells as Dipper but it should do.” She reached into the small box she brought with her and pulled out another charm, a small triangle cast in gold. This charm didn’t have the burn markings on it yet. “This one is for Bill.”

Dot frowned. Mabel had mentioned Bill and Dipper a lot for about a week and a half. He had actually yelled at her a couple of days ago to never say Bill’s name again. She’d stood so firmly in front of him with a pout on her lips that his resolve softened in one second flat. It wasn’t like Dot to get truly angry and Mabel saw through the anger for what it really was, fear. Dot wasn’t afraid of Bill but he was afraid of what he would bring into the life he’d created for himself. There was no point in arguing with Mabel on the subject though, she seemed adamant about the fact that things would work themselves out.

“Why is it a triangle?” Dot poked at the small trinket.

Mabel held up both the silver square and gold triangle beside each other. “You’re a square because you’re a nerd,” she giggled, catching the attention of James Whatshisname again. “No, you’re a square because squares are stable and safe. Bill’s triangle is gold to represent his oppositeness from you and because he’s a blonde. It is a triangle because he’s missing a side.”

“Missing a side?”

“Mhmm, if you take off one side of a square you get a triangle. It’s like saying Bill has a screw loose in his head, but that’s between me and you. A triangle just seems to fit him in a way that squares fit you.”

Dot nodded in approval and finally looked back up to the professor while Mabel pulled whatever heating tool she’d been using before from one of her little pocket dimensions. When class was over Mabel stood up quickly and wrapped the chain around his neck. She made it clear that he was never to take it off. Well, it was better then the macaroni necklace that she’d forced him to wear for a month when he was first released.

Outside the air was cool. That was something Dot loved about living in San Francisco. Summer was closing in and while it could get dreadfully humid there was always a breeze. The city was so vibrant and the number of tourists made for everyday entertainment. He couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. He had considered Los Angeles and New York, big cities were easy to get lost in and that’s what he wanted. Mabel had been the one to pick in the end. The atmosphere was pretentious in some areas but for the most part there were a lot of open minds.

“Dot, where are you going?” Mabel pulled on his sleeve, effectively stopping him.

“Home? You know that place you sleep in and often enough try and destroy.”

“It’s called a creative process, Mister, and you have work today.”

Dot groaned, he forgot, again. One thing Dot had always had a problem with was remembering appointments, meetings, interviews, assignments, anything that was generally too boring to be bothered with. He supposed it was one of the more flippant aspects of his personality that closely resembled his brother’s; they had to share something since looks was certainly not one of them.

Readjusting the strap on his bag Dot trudged in the opposite direction. He reported to the library four minutes before he was supposed to and then was sent off to another building. Mabel was chastising him about having promised her that he would remember. Dot wasn’t sure he actually made that promise.

The next four and a half hours was spent fixing computers, printers, projectors, smartboards, and even a couple of teachers’ tablets. During a fifteen minute break for a hot chocolate Mabel couldn’t stop laughing about how one of the teachers had been sure that the projector was touch operated. Dot had spent a good half hour trying to explain to the older man that just because it was projected on a white board, it didn’t make it a smartboard. College professor his ass!

“I’m exhausted,” Dot said as soon as he exited the library for the last time. “Do you have my phone or did I leave it in the library again?”

“Nope, I have it.” Mabel pulled the smart phone from her backpack and handed it to Dot. He’d left it with her so she could play games when she was bored and because he was easily distracted by the vibrations and sounds of text messages, emails, and phone calls. “You have a couple of missed calls.”

“Yeah, I was expecting a couple from my study groups and one from the bank. Oh and that guy downtown still owes me from our game last week.”

“He didn’t know who he was dealin’ with! BAM!” Mabel made a couple of hand flailing motions and laughed. Dot grinned. His Guardian was ever exuberant about his technically illegal gambling. The rules weren’t black and white with Mabel, there were all sorts of colors and shades. She’d mentioned that somewhere inside her she remembered a time when she had fun ignoring the rules but placing an exact time or thing was beyond her capacity to remember. That wasn’t unusual. Guardian’s didn’t exactly have lifespans and he didn’t expect Mabel to remember thousands of years.

Tapping in his passcode Dot flicked through the screens until he found the missed calls. There were five messages for six missed calls. They weren’t numbers he recognized. One was even out of state. Who did he know in Oregon?

_“Hello Mr. Matrix, Crawford, I just wanted to see if we could change our meet time from 4 p.m. to 6. The location is fine, of course. Please, let me know at your earliest convenience.”_ Click.

Dot pulled the phone from his ear and looked at the number; a cell phone. One thing he hardly ever had a bad memory about were his collections. Those were not boring. He typed a quick text to confirm the time was all right with him and not to be late. Dot really hated being out after dark.

“It looks like we still have time before we meet Crawford. It is about two-thirty. Let’s catch the bus and stop at the craft store. I’m running out of acrylic, someone keeps making jewelry that they’re never going to wear.”

“Think of it this way, when you finally get a girlfriend you’ll have a bunch of awesome jewelry to shower her with.” Dot rolled his eyes. Starting to walk towards the bus stop he tapped the screen for another message.

_“Dot… call me. It’s Bill.”_ Click.

“Dot?” Mabel was a few steps ahead of him at the bus stop.

Why was Bill calling him? How did Bill get his number? Who gave Bill his number? Dot’s breath was starting to stutter. The younger twin’s voice had sounded unsure. Not panicked per say but not the epitome of calm either. Could Dot ignore this? What if there was something seriously wrong? Who cared if there was something seriously wrong?

He tapped the next message.

_“Dot, I gave Bill your number. It seems you two have already discovered your close proximity to the other so this shouldn’t be that much of a problem.”_ There was a pause where Dot could hear his Aunt Mo mutter something to Stan. At least the Oregon number made sense now, she normally only called from hotel phones to say she was in the area. _“He’s worried, Dot. I would never ask you to talk to him if I didn’t hear him with my own ears. In all my years with him, Bill has never cared about anything that didn’t hinder his survival. Just … call him, promise me.”_

“Dot?” Mabel was beside him in an instant. Her gaze watching his moods fluctuate in a frenzy that meant something very serious to the Guardian. Pushing her backpack into a pocket dimension she popped into her Guardian Demon form and moved to bury herself in his hair.

Mabel had never been allowed to enter the rooms during Dot’s psychiatry sessions; he specifically requested she didn’t. Dot still talked to her about what the psychiatrist said or rather diagnosed. There were words like Anxiety, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Chronic Depression, and at one point Attention Deficit Disorder. They didn’t mean much to Mabel, they were just words. Her world was a flurry of colors and hues that have never been discovered, let alone deciphered, by the human eye. As she pressed her small hands into the teen’s scalp a shudder went through her luminescent form.

It almost burned to feel so much anxiety, pain, confusion, and betrayal in one reading. Then somewhere underneath all the colors of gray and green was the soft, pale blue of Dot’s normally calm self. Mabel tugged on that color, forcing it to brighten and bring Dot into clearer thought. He was fighting with himself; it was a good fight too. Mabel could have let him figure it out on his own but then she wouldn’t be doing her job as his Guardian. His safety was her priority, even if she was saving him from himself.

“I’m fine.” Dot finally said after a moment. “Thanks.”

A little more then a week ago he and Bill had seen each other for the first time in a few years. His mind had been blanketed by shock until he’d returned to his apartment with Mabel who then watched her charge break one of his favorite reading lamps against a wall. She had only ever seen him react that way once. It had been two days after the last time Dot ever talked to Bill. But he hadn’t slipped, not like he’d been about to. The amount of pressure was getting to be too much for Dot and Mabel feared for her charge’s ability to keep sane.

“Did you hear the messages?” Dot asked.

Mabel’s small form came and rested on top of the phone in Dot’s hand her eye looking up in a way of acknowledgement. “Maybe we wait to hear the rest of them until we get home?”

Dot nodded.

The bus came not four minutes later and they hurried on. It was crowded so Mabel stayed in her star form and casually struck a conversation with two other Guardians siting across from them. A small poker chip looking Guardian and another that resembled a thimble. They talked about the benefits of living in a city as opposed to the country and even managed to get one of their own charges, a fifteen year old boy, to choke on his water in embarrassment. Dot liked that Mabel made friends wherever she went. His own cautious mind tended to see danger and corruption in other people.

When the bus was two stops away the crowd had thinned out and a small pop told Dot that Mabel had returned to her human form.

“Woah!” The fifteen year old, Brody, jumped in surprise. He’d only had his guardian, the poker chip, about a month. First in his family. “Your Guardian, she… are they supposed to do that?”

“My mom said her uncle’s could do that.” The girl with the thimble Guardian said. She rearranged her horn rimmed glasses and leaned in to observe Mabel. “It’s very rare though, not a lot of Guardians are reported as having done so.”

“I prefer this form. I get to enjoy the things Dot does this way.”

“She has an insatiable sweet tooth.” Dot mentioned around a pouting Mabel.

“Why is she so young? How do they know what to look like?” The girl, Ana, asked.

“I don’t know. I never thought about it. Mabel?” All eyes turned to the Guardian.

Mabel shrugged, “It’s like a default setting. My brother and I are twins, near identical, maybe it has something to do with that. I can change the appearance of my age though, but I can’t be older then my charge and it takes a lot of energy.”

“That makes sense, wouldn’t want some punk sixteen year old trying to use their Guardian to sneak them into movies.” Ana said. “Wait, brother?”

“It’s complicated.” Dot and Mabel said in unison.

Dot didn’t know about that last bit. Mabel had always been about 12 or 13 when she took her form.

“Aren’t Guardians supposed to keep their charges out of trouble?” Brody asked. “Using them to get into a film seems like something a Guardian would be against.”

“Your safety is our top priority. Getting you into an R film wouldn’t necessarily be against our morals.” The poker chip Guardian seemed to snicker, like it was a thought he’d considered.

“It was against mine when Ana was a teenager. She didn’t have a very nice group of friends, luckily she grew out of that.” The thimble Guardian had a very deep masculine voice and his pointed look actually made Ana blush in what seemed to be embarrassment.

Mabel giggled. “Dot’s always been a really good kid. The most trouble I have is getting him to stop work.”

The bus stuttered to a stop and Dot stood up. “Well this is our stop.”

“It was nice to meet you,” Ana waved at Dot.

“You too, Mabel, I, uh, your human form is really cute.” Brody flushed, shaking hands with Mabel. Dot quirked an eyebrow and promptly drew Mabel closer to him, a reaction he often found himself committing to whenever someone showed interest that he deemed a little too forward.

Mabel waved the bus off, teetering on her toes. When she turned back to Dot she frowned. He was staring at his phone again. She’d heard the stress in Bill’s tone and in that of Aunt Mo’s. Then she’d also heard what was inaudible to Dot. Her Grunkle Stan, telling Aunt Mo to stress that Mabel should know. It made her worry that something was wrong with Dipper. But as a being of pure energy, she didn’t think she should have to worry about him. Had Grunkle Stan gotten the chance to see Dipper? She’d only seen her Grunkle a small handful of times. Before they’d been assigned he was Dipper’s and her mentor. They’d never known him as anything other then their Grunkle so Mabel knew that he worried about them.

“They were nice.” Mabel interjected.

Dot’s head snapped up, “Yes, quaint.” The Guardian recognized that tone, he just wanted to do what he needed to do and get home.

They walked for a few minutes before coming onto the craft store they frequented. Mabel waved to a cashier named Caroline and then hopped over to the clay aisle. They browsed through the acrylics, resins, and epoxy containers. Dot had a collection of dried flowers that he intended to capture in a clear encasement and present to Aunt Mo when she came down for the holidays. He’d been planning it since his last semester when he did it to a few insects for a biology project.

There was a set of glow in the dark earrings sitting on an end cap that Mabel fell in love with. Dot nodded that she could have them but she’d have to forgo the candy that was already in their basket. The candy and earrings ended up on the receipt.

It was fifteen minutes before Crawford would be expected when they walked in to their usual meeting spot. It was a bit more high end then would be expected of the typical college student. However, Dot had never been typical. Mabel tended to store the most random things in her pocket dimension but one thing he had requested was his blazer, good shoes, and a very particular hat. So, there he was in a dark blue button up that he’d wore since morning, a black blazer, dark jeans and pristine wingtip shoes. A black bowler hat perched professionally atop his head. Even Mabel was dressed nicely in a pale pink sundress that had a bedazzled brown belt and a pair of ballet flats. Dot was just adjusting her headband, with it’s large cabochon when a young man approached them.

“I’m sorry but you must be in the wrong place, you’re much too young for a lounge. Nice try though.” The man was dark haired and eyed, his tall stature giving him an aura of superiority.

Mabel merely smiled at the man over Dot’s shoulder before her charge stood and she watched something click in the teen.

“I’m expected.” Dot’s eyes drifted from the man’s shoes to his eyes, indigo gaze like ice. “In fact I am always expected. Would you rather I call up Mrs. Montgomery? She’s always had such a quick hand when it comes to the help.” The last word was said with such a lilt of arrogance that the man nearly paled. Mrs. Montgomery was the owners wife and a doting mother figure to Dot, she hated to watch her ‘sweet boy’ being taken advantage of in dirty cafes and diners.

“Nevermind, I’ll seat myself. I just can’t be bothered right now.” Dot brushed passed the man, taking a menu with him. The lounge was typically used for drinks and good music but upon request there were screened rooms for dinners and meetings.

Mabel followed Dot amongst the darkly dressed people. This side of Dot was something she noticed he did without meaning to. It reminded her of Bill, as if she could see the blonde somewhere in those indigo eyes. She’d wanted to mention it a number of times but she feared it wouldn’t do him any good. Mabel didn’t typically have a filter but when Bill was concerned she was careful. She loved the cool callousness of her charge though. He seemed to command the room but whenever his eyes landed on her they were warm.

The room closest to the bar was his. Actually it was the owners but they hardly used it. Whenever the Montgomery’s came to the lounge they sat at the bar or in the office. It was a decent sized room with a semi circle booth of plush russet seats and a modern black lacquer table. A small minibar off to the side where he could serve himself or his customers was available. Not that Dot cared to drink. He wasn’t for the underaged drinking or even alcohol in general. He never understood why people felt superior with a drink in their hand.

Mable pounced to put herself at the table first. She wasn’t short but her toes still barely brushed the floor as she sat at the table with her hands clasped before her.

“Ready to play Mob Boss?”

“I’m not a Mob Boss, Mabel.” Dot took a seat at the booth.

Before she could say anything else there was a knock at the door followed by a woman in her twenties with a bob of blonde hair and a bit out of breath. “Dot, oh my god, I’m so sorry. Nick is new here, just started yesterday. Can I get you guys something to eat? Anything, on the house.”

“Mozzarella sticks!” Mabel cried out, her large eyes laughing. Dot beside her had gone quiet. He moved his mouth to respond but seemed to forget what he was going to say. Mabel grinned. “He’ll have a strawberry lemonade, the fizzy kind, please.”

“Sure thing, Mabel. Tell Dot I’m really sorry when he comes back to Earth.”

“Totes.” The woman left and Mabel heard the breath run out of Dot’s lungs. “Seriously, man? Whitney is super cute and I think she’s totally into you. You should tell her how pretty she is and ask her on a date. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Dot leaned forward onto his hands and looked sidelong at Mabel. “Well for one thing, she could hear me.”

“Ugh, your hopeless.”

Another knock on the door straightened Dot’s back out and forced his hands to straighten the hat atop his head. This was Crawford, a business man who often found himself trying to outsmart Dot in poker games and who had employed Dot as a hacker on numerous occasions. It was known, and yet not, that Dot was a notorious hacker. He probably could have had his pick of tech schools but he really did love San Francisco and the people were far more in need of his particular set of skills.

“Mr. Matrix.” Crawford said in greeting.

“Please have a seat, I assume you have another job for me?”

Crawford seated himself just as Whitney came back with their order. “Will there be anything else, Mr. Matrix?”

Dot waved her off with a smile. That was another reason he preferred this lounge. The employees were familiar with the professionalism of Mr. Matrix.

The exchange was quick. There was a mole in the company that needed to be flushed out but Crawford was certain that it was a higher up who would notice if security was breached or files were opened. He paid Dot upfront and shook his hand, commenting that such a young man should be out dating and partying but he was grateful for the help. Mabel had kept munching on her treat and only opened her to mouth to say anything when Crawford shook her hand in thanks before he left.

Dot never stood for his departing guests. A trick he remembered watching his father use when he was a small child. He remembered thinking it was disrespectful to your client, but now he knew it was a power play; and a useful one at that. He was a kid messing with people often twice his age, being taken advantage of was a tangible danger.

The room filled with the sound of an acoustic guitar being played out on stage. Mabel was sipping at Dot’s lemonade now and watching him from the corner of her eye. He was typing somethings into his phone. Mabel didn’t even try and pretend she knew what went on in Dot’s ‘nerd brain’. It was one of the reason’s she so adored Dot, it was like having her brother around but not. At that thought, and with the end of the day approaching, Mabel let her thoughts drift. Bill had left a message and Aunt Mo had said something was wrong. Was Dipper okay? Was it safe to let Dot contact Bill? She knew that something was wrong there, something that Dot didn’t want to talk about yet. That bothered her more.

“Hey guys, burgers for the road? I assume you won’t be staying much longer, the sun hasn’t quite reached the horizon but it’s close.”

It was Whitney again. Dot picked his gaze up from his phone and a shaky smile came to his lips. Mabel sighed. Dot’s aversion to the dark wasn’t so much a fear of it then a paranoia of what was there. He knew he could rely on Mabel for most forms of protection but he didn’t like to. It was an old argument that had prompted Dot to try his hand at martial arts once. He’d made it a couple of belts in before spraining his wrist and he had to stay out of the computer lab for an entire three weeks.

“Thanks. Thank you, I, uh, yes we are going.” The bowler hat that been sitting on Dot’s head slipped off clumsily and rolled across the table straight into a pocket dimension that Mabel had waggled her fingers to form. Whitney’s smile brightened.

“Dot you are still as adorable as the day you stumbled in here.” That had been two years ago and he and Mabel had been running for the bus stop when he’d slipped through the door of the lounge into Mrs. Montgomery.

“That was a good day.” Dot muttered, his smile still intact. “You sang that day too.”

Whitney laughed, “Yeah, well so did Mabel.”

“And I was fabulous!”

The next ten or so minutes was filled with awkward chit chat on Dot’s part. Whitney was pretty and she was also smart and creative. She was a fashion student and the combination seemed to make Dot’s stomach do funny things. Smart, pretty, funny girls, with great smiles. Warm smiles. So Whitney was a couple of years older then him but she didn’t treat him like a child, she treated him with kindness.

“Dot, you’re smiling.” Mabel came into his vision, her head of brown hair curling around soft features.

They’d made it to the front door of the lounge somehow. Whitney tailing them. Taking a deep breath Dot turned to face her. They were about the same height, especially in the heels she wore for work. Mabel, reading the anxious nervousness that seemed to flow off her charge grinned. Shoulders squared and gaze steady Dot decided it was better to take a stab at this then just let it go to waste. So what if there was a chance he’d never came to the lounge again out of sheer embarrassment?

“Whitney, would you,”

_Ring._

“That is…”

_Ring._

“I would like to…”

_Ring._

“Just a moment.” Dot reached into his pocket, much to Mabel’s dismay. The screen on the front was just a series of numbers. Numbers that the phone had not yet been told to recognize but were suddenly familiar to Dot. He stole one glance up at the blonde Whitney and then back at his phone. “Sorry, it’s … it’s my brother.”

Dot ran outside leaving Mabel and Whitney behind. Mabel made to follow but stalled when she heard Whitney mutter, “I didn’t know he had a brother.”

Pressing down the pleats of her skirt in thought Mabel smiled a steady smile up at the girl.

“It’s complicated.”

Outside, Dot was already on the phone, listening intently. Mabel’s wide brown eyes caught a wisp of something in Dot’s emotions before it vanished. But it left a distinctly dark taste on her lips; he was fearful. But it wasn’t the usual fear Mabel was used to associating with Bill.

“I’ll bring her.” That was it. Those were the final words before Dot hung up the phone and slumped against the wall of the lounge. He looked down at the bag of burgers in his hand. His thoughts scattered. “We have to go see Bill, now.”


	8. Bring Me to Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise you I have not forgotten about this story, I fully intend to finish it.  
> With that said, my short hiatus has made me realize that this story has two separate arcs (possibly three). So it's still up in the air whether I will keep it all as one story or separate them and make a sequel. I'm leaning towards just making it a series with a full blow sequel and even one shots if I think of any.
> 
> This chapter is twice as long as my last chapter, which was my longest, and I was going to break it up into two chapters but I felt like I owed you guys a bit for your patience. I also couldn't find a good break off point that I was satisfied with. So here you go, I hope this will pacify you.
> 
> I enjoy hearing from you guys and I always try to respond when I can.

Seating himself precariously on the limb of the tree Bill looked at the small trinket in his hand. It was a smooth surfaced pocket watch with a silver chain attached to it. On the back of the watch the word ‘hello’ was etched into it. He smirked at the piece. It was cute, he knew he’d be tracking down something of sentimental value; an ancestral piece perhaps.

“Kind of pretty isn’t it, Pine Tree?” Bill asked, looking over his shoulder at the Guardian Demon, floating with his small arms crossed.

“It’s old, 1885, German. 18 karat gold but the chain is fairly recent, looks like a replacement. Probably worth about five thousand, the watch not the chain.”

“That’s a lot of money. I’m assuming they didn’t know.”

“They might have. That would explain why it’s this high up, harder for just anyone to reach. Honestly, would anyone without a Guardian be stupid enough to climb this?” Dippers incredulous tone was not lost on Bill. If anything it served to amuse him further.

“Sure, anyone should be free to climb a tree in search of treasure and fall without someone judging them. Not everyone gets as lucky as you and me, Pine Tree.”

Bill shot Dipper his most charming smile before digging around in his pack. He recovered a silver lighter. Dipper identified it as an old antique one they’d found on their last trip over to the Treasure Island flea market. Initially, Bill had been talking about keeping it, his face had lit up when Dipper told him it had been on the battlefield before. He sort of hated to see something Bill liked so much get put into the cranny of a tree where someone else could risk there life to get it.

“Lucky, right.” Dipper couldn’t help but mutter as he watched Bill try to finagle the box the watch had been in open again. Bill’s balance was almost catlike on its own and if he knew that Dipper’s magic was the thing really keeping him up there then he didn’t let it show.

“Damn, this thing wasn’t this hard to open the first time.” Bill grit his teeth before a short yelp caught Dipper’s attention from a squirrel that was skittering a bit above them. Whipping around he looked down to see Bill looking over the branch forlornly.

“Did you just?” Dipper questioned.

“I dropped it. I dropped the lighter.”

A chuckle escaped the Guardian, “I’ll get it. Just wait here.”

Without another word Dipper lowered himself past the thick branches that obscured the ground until he saw something. Or rather a lack of something. The lighter wasn’t on the ground and it hadn’t gotten caught in the branches on his way down. His eyes scanned the area, identifying where the trinket had landed and also the set of footprints beneath them. It had taken him all of a minute to come down from the tree but there was no one around.

“Wonder if it still works.” Dipper heard the voice and immediately knew what they were talking about. They’d probably been walking when the lighter fell into their hands.

“Pine Tree?” Bill called down to him.

“Someone took it. I’ll get it, just sit tight.” Dipper called back up.

“Sit tight? Because that’s going to happen.”

Dipper felt it before he actually saw it. The sensation of his charge being in danger was one of the worst feelings. He could feel the air whipping past his face, the branches cutting into the bare arms of his skin, and the approaching ground. Even if all Dipper was doing was floating about four feet off the ground he could feel Bill’s sensations as he hurtled towards impending death.

When Bill’s form emerged from the trees, the smile on his face ever taunting, Dipper caught him. Not physically off course, it was more like a net of elastic force. Wide eyed Dipper lowered his charge to the soft ground and nearly collapsed upon it himself.

“What the heck, Bill? A warning would have been nice. What if I didn’t catch you in time?”

“I knew you would, Pine Tree. So who took my lighter?”

That caught Dipper by surprise. Bill had trusted him. Guardian Demons were meant to be trusted of course but Bill hadn’t vocalized it before. He’d been walking on eggshells with Dipper for a couple of weeks now since their last argument. That he was allowing Dipper to take care of him was almost a sorry in itself to Dipper.

“Can you remember these coordinates, Pine Tree?” Bill asked. Dipper nodded in his own way and began to lead the way in the direction of the thief.

Bill complained under his breath about having to climb the tree again because he certainly wasn’t going to let all his hard work go to waste. They’d gotten up at 5 a.m. that morning to start their travel. Bill had said it was pretty far and he didn’t like being too far away from home after dark. Unfortunately, Bill wasn’t entirely a morning person, he’d been groggy and snappish all morning. It didn’t take them long to find a clearing, or rather a path. The park they were in had taken them a BART ride and two buses south of San Francisco, it was frequented by hikers but there were cemented trails placed on more even ground for the less adventurous visitors. On one of those paths happened to be a rather odd looking boy and girl that only looked halfway prepared for a hike with heavy backpacks.

“Vero, we’re going to get in trouble.” The boy spoke up. His dark skin and accent gave Bill a hint towards a hispanic heritage. He was rather large, square shoulders and thick legs. He probably went to the gym for fun. There seemed to be a toughness about him but the way he hid himself in the large purple Lakers hoodie left something to be desired.

“For science, Xay!” The girl started. “We’re doing it out here away from school so that we won’t be under suspicion. I don’t think a ranger will catch us, I never see them out this way. Away from campsites, away from police. We’re good.”

The girl was tall and voluptuous. Bill couldn’t get over the mischievous glint in her eye whenever she flicked them upwards at the boy. She was curling her finger around a strand of hair from her very pink pigtails making sure to look as demure as possible. She was obviously the one in charge and if it weren’t obvious by her domineering presence in hot pink pumps then Bill didn’t know what could do it. Despite the getup she didn’t look bothered. Even growing up in Gravity Falls Bill had never known a girl to willingly walk the woods in a pair of heels. Then again not many willingly walked the woods.

“You have my lighter,” Bill finally said, emerging from the side of the trail and catching their attention. “I’ll take it back now.”

Blunt as ever, Dipper thought.

The girl turned around and sure enough the hand that wasn’t wrapped in her pigtails was holding on to the antique lighter. Dipper cringed at the smirk that spread on the girls lips. It was the kind of quirk of the lips that probably convinced the other boy to come to the park with her in the first place. Dipper knew this girl was used to getting her way but one look at Bill would have sent a shiver down his spine. Challenge accepted.

Bill trudging around in the woods, deciphering clues, breaking codes and laughing at his own stupid mistakes was Dipper’s favorite kind of Bill. The Bill who looked like he already ruled the world and people couldn’t seem to find their place, sort of terrified Dipper. The switch was instantaneous; missed if you weren’t looking for it.

Even dressed in worn down black jeans, hiking boots and a white T-shirt with some sort of geometric design on it (Dipper was told it was from a video game) Bill still looked like he just walked out of his throne room to grace the Earth.

“Finders keepers, sweetheart.” the girl said, watching as Bill made a step towards her. In heels she was the same height as him, able to look him in the eye. When he stood directly in front of him her eyes flicked over to Dipper and for a moment it looked as if she were going to say something. Bill stopped her.

“Sweetheart, huh? Listen, I can appreciate a good arsonist so I won’t even inquire as to what you’re doing with two bottles of propane and what I’d say is about five pounds of sulfur.” Bill was leaning in closer, actually tilting his head in a way that made the girl feel impossibly small. “But if we want to talk finders keepers, well then…”

Bill leaned further in his breath playing at her ear one hand resting on the other side of her neck holding her still. His near golden gaze flashed upward to look at the red cheeks of the male she’d been with initially. They were just friends and like he’d suspected, he was simply a lackey. Someone she suckered in to doing things with her feminine wiles. He wouldn’t be a problem.

“I found you.”

The lighter fell from her hands at the drop in his tone of voice. Dipper was used to watching this happen and yet every single time he couldn’t explain why it worked. He hated that. Dipper hated not knowing. That was the thing about his charge. He could observe and as a result bend reality but he actually had to learn when it came to Bill. But the infuriating blonde never seemed to give Dipper anything he could work with. This power, charm, whatever people wanted to call it, that Bill could pull out around people was one of those things.

Too easy, Bill thought as his other hand felt the weight of the lighter fall into his hands. Her persona was simply a mask. She was only a leader because she hadn’t found anyone to follow. He was more than happy to oblige.

Leaning away he chuckled at the pink on her cheeks that nearly matched the same hue as her hair. She was obviously flustered and a hand slapped against the skin where his touch had lingered only moments ago.

“I- I’m Veronica.” she said, unprompted before turning minutely to gesture at the tall, made like a tank, boy. “This is Xavier.”

Bill turned his gaze upwards to Xavier. The other was certainly taller then the blonde but was nowhere near as intimidating. “How did you know what we had?” Xavier asked, his voice soft.

“I grew up in an area where kids love to make their own fireworks,” Bill said. It was a simple sentence but somehow came off as sinister. Dipper flitted over and sat casually on the blonde’s shoulder his one wide eye looking out at the two before him and then the bag Xavier was carrying. He could make out the impression of the propane can that was being carried and sulfur was one of those smells that didn’t go away quick enough. Bill obviously looked for the upper hand the minute he spotted the two and found a pretty good one.

“He won’t say anything, Xay.” Veronica said very suddenly. Dipper turned to Bill, watching a brow rise in amusement, his lips twisting upwards. This was odd. Dipper knew Bill around women, he was charming and always letting them know he was undressing them with his eyes. But this girl, Veronica, she was fighting that charm. It was a weak battle but he could see that she wasn’t ready to roll over just yet.

“I like you,” Bill said, taking a step away and flicking the lighter on and off. Guess it does work, he thought. “But what makes you think I won’t say anything?”

Veronica was quick to respond, “You can say whatever but we won’t be anywhere near here by the time you get back.”

With her chin lifted and back straight she looked as if perhaps she were prepared to fight Bill. Dipper could tell from the way her knees locked that she probably wouldn’t but he was no less impressed by her ability to keep cool. Bill smiled and it creeped Dipper out. It was a sincere smile, he so rarely saw the ones that actually reached his eyes that way. Veronica’s demeanor flipped, as if she didn’t know if he was taking her seriously or not.

“I’m not saying anything,” Bill said, flicking the lighter once more, watching Veronica’s eyes linger on the spark of fire. “I have nothing to gain from it. I’ll be on my way.”

Bill turned, readjusting his bag on him and motioning for Dipper to move ahead of them. He had said he’d kept the coordinates in mind after all. Dipper could feel the eyes of the other two on him, they probably weren’t used to seeing a Guardian let their charge finagle with possibly dangerous strangers. Dipper wouldn’t have been able to stop Bill even if he wanted to. Bill’s footsteps stopped at the line of bushes and trees and Dipper turned to see that the blonde was looking back at his departing company.

“I’ll catch you around, Pyronica.” They left.

It wasn’t until they were sitting at the top of the tree again that Bill said anything else about the two. The curiosity in his voice confusing Dipper.

“Did I scare them?” Bill asked.

“Huh?” Dipper responded intelligently.

“You heard me.”

“Uhm, well, you are kind of scary Bill. Does it matter?”

When Bill didn’t respond Dipper came down from the branch above to look at him. Bill was already starting to climb down, but Dipper heard him mutter, “I’ve never been very good with people.”

“What does that mean? You’re amazing with people. Charming and smart, you’re like a regular prince charming!” Dipper thought for sure that would come out dripping with more sarcasm but he realized as he said it that, of what he’d observed, it was all true.

“That’s not, it’s not…right.”

“The right thing never seemed to be an issue before.”

Bill touched the ground and started pulling out his phone to check the time. It had only just turned eleven thirty. They made good time. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what do you mean, Bill?”

“I just,” Bill looked up at his floating Guardian. “They didn’t seem all that bad.”

Dipper felt something different, a shift in the bond between he and Bill. It was fragile, like a raw nerve and Dipper wanted so badly to reach out and tug at it. Not in the literal sense, of course, the magic between a Guardian Demon and their Charge wasn’t tangent but it still existed. This was familiar to Dipper. It was almost the same feeling he got as he was being summoned into this dimension. Bill needed him.

“We could go back.” Dipper suggested, almost too eagerly.

Bill’s eyes flashed upwards and then back to the ground, starting to walk back to the entrance of the park where they could catch a bus. “I’ll see them again, she attends the same school I do.”

Dipper was about to say something but he had noticed too. He wasn’t used to others being as observant as he was. On the backpack that Veronica had on her were keychains for UC Berkeley as well as a patch that was a standard knickknack from orientation days. It wasn’t surprising that he and Bill hadn’t seen her around campus, Bill spent most of his time in solitary confinement anyway.

“You want to be friends with them?” Dipper asked instead.

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know? It’s not hard to figure out whether or not you want friends.” Dipper was insistent and Bill kept trying to walk away from the chattering Guardian. “You’ve had friends before, right, Bill?”

Bill turned his head slightly to acknowledge Dipper and then thought better, continuing his hike back. He was done with this little session, he didn’t need the Guardian berating down his neck to make more friends. He’d obviously been giving Dipper too many cards from his hand. Well he was done with that, Dipper wasn’t going to worm himself into Bill’s head so easily.

The next sensation was like a rubber-band snapping. A cold chill started at the base of Bill’s neck and trailed up until it spread across his head and paralyzed him. The breath was knocked out of him and something he hadn’t felt in a very long time gripped his heart.

Fear.

When Bill could finally feel his finger’s again he turned around to ask if Dipper had felt the same thing. But he wasn’t there. There was no floating pine tree Guardian hanging just over his head.

“Pine Tree?” Bill asked, turning fully around, looking higher and making a circle. When he nearly tripped over what felt like a root, he looked down. Eye closed and spindly black limbs retracted was his Guardian Demon.

“Pine Tree?” He questioned again, bending his knees into a squat. “Hey, what are you sleeping on the job for? Pine Tree?”

Still Dipper didn’t stir and a feeling akin to panic started to spread throughout Bill’s chest. Carefully he lifted the Guardian Demon into his hands, noting that the warmth that usually thrummed beneath the surface was slowly dissipating. Bill looked around at the surrounding trees as if amongst them he could find the culprit but there was no one. The only sounds were the creaking of the branches in the wind and the flapping of a random birds wing. This wasn’t like someone falling and spraining their ankle, you couldn’t just call anyone for help.

“Pine Tree, this isn’t funny,” he muttered. “Dipper?”

Without a response his phone was out and the sound of the line connecting happened before he even remembered who he was calling.

“Hello?”

What was he supposed to say?

“Hello?”

He hadn’t even told anyone about his Guardian. Aside from Dot finding out, the information hadn’t seemed pertinent.

“I’m going to hang up now.”

“Told ya we shoulda sprung for the caller ID.”

“Cheapskate, I was the one who said we should get it.”

It was now or never.

“Aunt Mo?”

“Oh, its Bill. Well this is certainly unexpected. What do you need?” her tone wasn’t annoyed, though it did seem vaguely as if she’d been interrupted by his phone call.

“I have something to tell you.” This wasn’t something Bill was used to. He was a straightforward kind of guy, say it like it is and consequences be damned. But Aunt Mo had always had this effect on him. She was one of the few people in the world he actually respected.

“This isn’t about coming up for the summer is it? We had an agreement, Bill. Summers here in Gravity Falls can’t be all that bad.”

“No, it’s not that.”

“This is about Dot.” It wasn't a question. He’d always known she was in contact with his brother after they’d eventually had a falling out but she never said where. There were times where Bill actually assumed she hoped on a plane to London, because that’s how badly Dot would want to be away from him.

“It’s not. Thanks for telling me he was right across the bridge, by the way. We ran into each other out of nowhere. Wasn’t that long ago either.” Bill swallowed the lump in his throat and went for it. “I have a Guardian Demon.”

Only the crackle of soft static said that Aunt Mo hadn’t hung up on him. Not that she would but it did unnerve Bill just a bit that she was so quiet. A soft shuffling and he heard a echoing pop before a series of clicks.

“For how long?” The sound was a bit more hollow and Bill knew that he’d been put on speaker.

“Not long, a few weeks, months… the beginning of the semester.”

“Bill…” Aunt Mo said his name in a puff of breath. It sounded tired. “Why didn’t you say anything before?”

“Didn’t seem important.”

“I wanted to meet him, talk to him. I worry about you, you know, but with a Guardian Demon around I could breath a little easier.”

“I can take care of myself. Wait, I didn’t say it was a him.”

Silence.

“Aunt Mo, how did you know?”

“You aren’t a dolt, Bill, frankly for a kid I raised to my standards I am surprised at how blind you are to the obvious.” Bill didn’t say anything, waiting for her to continue. “ As you know I kept in contact with Dot. He’s a sweet kid, very opposite from your loud mouth. As a result I’ve spoken quite a few times with his Guardian, Mabel. She mentioned having a brother once and often seemed distraught that your attitude didn’t seem to want to change. I had only theorized that perhaps her brother would be your Guardian Demon but Stanley confirmed it when I brought it up to him.”

“What does he have to do with it?” Bill cradled Dipper in his arm, preparing to continue his walk.

A frustrated sigh escaped Aunt Mo before she answered, “He’s their mentor, they call him Grunkle Stan.”

Bill looked down at Dipper. He’d never heard of a Guardian Demon having a mentor before. Although he supposed that made sense. Guardian Demons lived in a dimension separate from their own and there were probably Guardians with far more experience who were willing to pass down knowledge and tips to the younger generation of Guardians. It still brought up the question about how they aged, or if they did, but it wasn’t what he was concerned with right now.

“That’s news,” Bill said.

“That isn’t all you called me about though.” Aunt Mo was so matter of fact that Bill almost flinched. She knew him too well. He didn’t call just to inform him about his life, he wasn’t that type of person.

“No, it’s not. Pine… I mean, Dipper. He won’t wake up.”

“So toss’im in some water,” that was Stanley, Bill knew that gruff cantor anywhere.

“Will that work?” Bill asked, already reaching for the bottle of water that dangled from his messenger bag. “Because I’ve poked and prodded but there wasn’t a single response.”

“Don’t listen to him.” Aunt Mo said quickly. A soft thump said she’d probably thrown a book at her Guardian, it wasn’t uncommon. “I’m sorry. Bill. I don’t know what to tell you. When Stanley came to me he just popped up and no one here in Gravity Falls has ever experienced anything like that.”

Bill could see the end of the trail ahead of him and jogged the last bit as he saw the bus he needed approach the stop. His breathing was a little heavier as he ran and caught the bus last minute, all the while listening to bits and pieces of a murmured conversation between her and Stanley. When he was finally sitting down in a seat, cradling Dipper against his chest he spoke.

“So do I just wait?” he hadn’t meant it to sound as meek as he did and inwardly cringed when he noticed but he was at a loss. What was he supposed to do?

“Call Dot.” Stanley was the one who spoke. “Mabel knows her brother better then anyone. As it is Dipper is the most knowledgeable Guardian I know. He knows things most of us shouldn’t know. There’s a chance he’s told Mabel something about this kind of situation. I’ve never witnessed it before, kid. You’re just gonna have to trust that Mabel wants to help her brother bad enough to drag Dot to you.”

Stanley recited Dot’s number to Bill. He committed them to memory and then hung up without a goodbye to Aunt Mo. Dialing the number into his phone Bill paused. How should he start a conversation with Dot? Would he even answer the number? What if he wouldn’t help? Mabel had been asleep when she’d arrived to Dot. But he’d never asked before how long she’d stayed that way. When he saw his brother again at the correction facility it had always been with a rambunctious Shooting Star beside him. But Dipper had been awake and only suddenly become comatose. Was it normal?

Left without a choice Bill hit the final button to call his twin and brought the phone to his ear.

“Hi it’s Dot’s phone, but he’s busy being a nerd so leave a message and he’ll call you back whenever, beep!” Mabel’s voice rang in his ear, her own vocal beep followed by the actual tone signaling him to leave a message. Bill spoke quickly, hoping it would peak his siblings curiosity enough to call back. The phone was a cell number so he knew Dot would be able to deduce which number was his.

Looking down at his Guardian Bill huffed. What could have brought this on? He’d never actually seen Dipper sleep before. It wasn’t entirely impossible that Guardian’s just needed their rest, right? They needed a certain amount of magical restores to retain certain sizes and shapes in their form. Recently Dipper had started showing the ability to open pocket dimensions, something he knew was a common ability amongst Guardians. This was so frustrating.

In silence Bill rode the buses and BART all the way back to his Berkeley apartment, stopping only to grab something to eat from across the street of his apartment. He placed Dipper carefully down on a cushion before sitting beside him on the couch. The sun hung high in the sky, shinning through his windows. The world seemed normal, as it should.

Amber eyes flickered to his book bag. Finals were coming up, he needed to study. He looked to his phone, willing Dot to call him back. Studying might take his mind off the weight he felt in his chest. With that final decision Bill made to set up his usual study workspace.

In about ten minutes Bill was sitting on the floor with his back against the couch. Three water bottles and a can of pop, the kind Aunt Mo sent to him from Gravity Falls, his bowl of Pho from across the street, the beef floating to the top as it cooked. His books were stacked in front of him and papers waiting to be filled with notes before him. He set about to work, tossing the golden hair that he kept swearing to cut up into a topknot. Pencil’s already tucked behind his ear and a raw bean sprout in between his lips.

Time passed without him once glancing at the clock, eyes darting between the books and his notes, highlighters sprawled in various colors on the floor. Bare toes were digging into the soft carpet as his drawn up knees supported the heavy biology book in his lap. It was familiar and all consuming. He’d perfected this study position as a kid when he’d been pouring over his aunts books on sociology, physics, and mathematics. He’d hated school and the way teachers taught. He’d been accustomed to the private tutors he and Dot shared, the ones how were adamant about keeping such ‘strapping young boys’ in tip top shape. Aunt Mo had tried to fill in the gaps by providing him with access to subject of interest, which happened to be all of them. Eventually he’d latched onto psychology, interested in the minds perception of reality; or lack thereof.

“What was the appendix even for? Pine Tree?” Bill’s head lifted and turned to the book fort. Normally Dipper would be sitting on one of the little towers or peek his head from the designated entrance. “Right.”

Turning his head again he skimmed over the half eaten bowl of Pho, the finished can of pop, and finally his still comatose Guardian. His form was as still as ever, not even a stir. Bill wished the Guardian could breathe and give him a sign that there was still some semblance of being alive. The sun outside was starting to cast an orangey glow throughout the room. Dot still hadn’t returned his call.

Fishing his phone out of his pocket Bill redialed the number and leaned back, hands over his eyes as his head hit the cushion. The phone rang for a while and Bill almost hung up when he was sure the voicemail would start playing.

“Hello?”

Bill sat up, his hand going to the floor to steady himself. “Dot?”

“What do you want, Bill? You might have convinced Aunt Mo, but I’ll change my number and cut you both off if this isn’t for a damn good reason,” Dot was brazen and Bill would have flinched at the venom in his tone if he weren’t already prepared for it.

“I think I need your help.”

“You think?”

Bill heaved a sigh, pushing past the condescending words. “Pine Tree won’t wake up. Aunt Mo and Stanley don’t know what’s going on. We thought maybe-“

“I can’t fix that.” Dot said abruptly.

“But-“

“No, Bill. I can’t fix that. I didn’t make Mabel wake up or wave some magic words over her. One day she was sleeping on the pillow next to me and the next she was bouncing around the rooms of _my_ _cell_.” That last word was said with a hiss that Bill couldn’t help but wince from.

“So that’s it then? You would let Mabel’s brother, her twin, sit here comatose? Will you even tell her?” Dot was silent on the other end. “I guess I could just turn him into a hood ornament or whatever.”

Bill knew his own words were insincere. As much as he would loathe to admit he was panicked. If Dot didn’t help him then what would he do? There was a department dedicated to the study of Demons at the university but he didn’t know how he’d feel with a bunch of students poking at his Guardian. Sure it was vaguely possessive but Bill had always been that way and he wasn’t about to change.

“I’ll bring her.” Dot said all of a sudden.

Bill didn’t know what the sensation that fluttered through his chest was at the tone of defeat in his brother’s voice. He should feel victorious but this wasn’t a victory. Dot didn’t say he was coming to help only that he’d bring her. Of course he’d be more worried about Mabel; no doubt she’d asked when she’d be able to see her brother again after their last run in.

“I’ll text you the address.”

Bill hung up first and quickly typed in the address as well as the number of the bus that stopped at the end of the block to spare Dot the trouble. He could be considerate. When it was sent he turned to look at Dipper. He’d adjusted to the flitting about of his Guardian Demon. Now it was too quiet. The shuffling of pages turning, the scratch of pen against paper, and the soft hum of magic energy had just been background noise but were an integral part of knowing that he wasn’t alone.

Bill never fared well when he was alone.

Swallowing back a memory he hadn’t dredged up in ages Bill rose from the floor and began gathering his things. There wouldn’t be any more studying this night. He poured the pho into a plastic bag and tossed it in the trash; it never tasted good as a leftover. The left over water bottle went back into the refrigerator and his books and notes went back into his own room. If he left his text books around Dipper had a tendency to add them to his fort, not that it was a problem at this exact moment.

Bill was sitting back on the floor again, writing an email to Aunt Mo on his laptop, when the sound of someone knocking on his door resonated through the otherwise quiet room. He shut the lid of the laptop and placed it neatly on the coffee table, taking a breath before he crossed the room and opened the door.

Mabel was where his eye landed first. She was dressed for a party in a pretty pink dress and shiny black shoes. Had he called Dot away from a previous engagement? His brother stood there before him looking displeased as ever. A tie hung loosely from around his neck but Bill couldn’t tell if it was the proper dress for a meeting or a job interview. He decided it wasn’t his business.

“Hi Bill, maybe you can tell me what the heck is going on.” Mabel paused for a moment. Her eyes narrowing, took in Bill’s lanky form. “You don’t look so good. You don’t look safe.”

Bill stepped out of the doorway, motioning them in. “Safe?” He questioned.

“I can usually tell when a person has a Guardian Demon because there’s like this layer of protection that most of us put up around the person we’re in charge of. It’s like a knee jerk reaction to ensure that even when we aren’t looking at you you’re still protected to some degree. Like a hamster ball for humans.”

“I didn’t know that,” Bill muttered, closing the door when they’d finally come in.

“If yours is broken…” Mabel trailed off and pivoted to look at the rest of the room. “Bro bro?”

When Mabel didn’t receive a response her form popped and the iridescent star zoomed around the room a couple of times before finding Dipper. It was a small gasp and a broken sort of whimper escaped her as she lowered herself and brushed her fingers over his closed eye.

“Demons don’t need to sleep, Dipper. You’re the one who told me that. Wake up.” Mabel shook her brothers sleeping form but when there was no response she pulled back and turned her eye to Bill. “What did you do?”

“Me?” Bill shot Mabel an incredulous look. “I didn’t do anything. One minute we’re walking through the woods and next he’s lying on the ground.”

“No no, he’s asleep. We don’t need sleep. Well I mean, I sleep for fun, but not in this form. He wouldn’t just not wake up either. Did he use magic at all? Do you force him to use magic, Bill? Because he’s not strong enough for that. He could be, he should be, but he’s not and if you’re forcing him then that could be it. Did you shut him out? Leave him behind? Drain him? I’ve heard of humans who seal Demons for their power, are you one of those people who take their Guardians for granted?”

“Hey, Mabel…” Dot was moving forward, giving a wary glance in Bill’s direction. He seemed unperturbed by the accusations. In fact he didn’t seem to be feeling anything, Bill’s face was just blank, almost bored. “Mabel I don’t think Bill would do that.”

Her accusing gaze switch to one of betrayal, “Don’t suddenly defend him. Just because a Guardian’s sole purpose is to protect their charge it doesn’t mean you can disregard the kind of impact you have on your Guardian.”

“I never asked for an incompetent Guardian anyway.”

Where was the worry Dot had heard on the phone? It was like a flip had switched. As kids Bill had always been good and going back and forth between the kid his parents wanted and the brother Dot wanted but this was different. This was was disconnected from the situation. He was looking Mabel right in the eye and Dot could see his Guardian’s eye shine.

“Bill, you can’t say those kinds of things. Fate gave you a Guardian for whatever reason, don’t selfishly toss it aside.” Dot spoke up sternly, grabbing Bill’s attention. When Bill’s eyes turned to his brother there was almost a softening to them, it was involuntary and he probably didn’t notice but Dot did. Mabel was the authority figure and Dot was his beloved twin brother. Dot knew what happened around authority figures and Bill.

“Are you going to help him?” Bill asked, his amber gaze never leaving his brother. It was an odd comfort. Bill hadn’t been in a confined space with just his brother in years. He could reach out and touch him, hug him, there was nothing stopping him.

“We can’t.” Well, almost nothing.

“What do you mean, Mabel?” Dot asked, turning away, Bill reluctantly doing the same.

“We aren’t the ones that caused the problem. I’ve been trying to pull at the bond he and I share as siblings. It’s as strong as ever but I can’t feel his consciousness.”

“So?” Bill asked.

“So he’s overthinking, it’s like a car that’s overheated. His power is all in his mind and he fried it.”

“Then he just needs to stop thinking, right?” Dot’s arms were crossed, trying to find a comfortable position. He did look awkward standing in the area between the couch and the door.

“He fried it, Dot? What do you do when you fry a circuit?”

“Get a new one?”

Bill huffed, “He’s going to get a new mind?”

“Yeah, sorta. There’s a lot of words and stuff that Dipper used to explain this kind of thing to me once but I’m not good at remembering the nerd stuff. Basically he’s gluing the bond. Dot told me I was asleep when I came into this world.”

Bill and Dot shot each other a look. The memory of them spotting Mabel for the first time going simultaneously through their minds.

“I’m a heads first kind of gal, so when I jumped in this world I jumped too fast and pulled on a connection that wasn’t ready to receive me.” Mabel mulled over it for a moment, her small hand brushing over her brother once more. “It backfired and I had to rebuild my connection. Which is hard for me if the person is emotionally, uhm, wonky.”

“Took her four months to wake up.”

“Dipper needs to rebuild his connection but it could take a while depending on things.”

“What sort of things?” Bill asked.

“I-I don’t remember. Dipper and I are so different. I know him but sometimes I don’t.”

“So you really can’t do anything for him.”

“Bill..” Dot warned, his tone low.

“No, I want to, but I can’t.”

“This was a waste.” Bill moved in Dot’s direction, the latter shrinking away, “I’m going to bed. It’s getting late, you guys can use the spare room, I can’t do this right now.” With that the blonde entered and closed the door of his room, the soft click of the lock their final sign that Bill was down for the count.

Dot turned to Mabel, “We should go.”

Mabel looked up at him and wrung her small hands together, her form floated up to his eye level. “When I woke up, what did you do the day before?”

Dot blinked, confused with the question. She’d never asked before. “I had been in solitary for three days by the time you woke up. I was there before so it wasn’t anything new.”

“Nothing?”

“Well, I’d made a friend and she left to another facility, I guess I was sulking. I had asked a guard if they knew her and where she went.”

“That’s it?”

“Is it important?”

“Maybe, I don’t know yet. I hate to ask this Dot, but could we stay just this one night? You hate being outside when it’s dark anyway. He said we could use the spare room.”

Dot eyed the door Mabel motioned at, “I don’t know about this, Mabel.”

The shimmering Guardian swooped over and pushed the door open. The walls were eggshell white like the rest of the apartment but there was a full sized bed and a desk with a computer on it. It was a nice set up. “You don’t even have to sleep on the couch.”

Dot sighed and glanced down at the cushion that Dipper still lie on. “You’ll owe me.”

“How about I make breakfast?” Mabel said cheerfully.

“I’m thinking more like you stay out of the kitchen for a week.”

 

* * *

 

  
Bill had been deep in sleep when he felt the unfamiliar presence of someone else in his room. The open window let in the light from the streetlamp outside. He spotted the silhouette almost immediately. He glanced at his bedside clock; it was four in the morning.

“What do you want, Shooting Star? Don’t Guardians have a sense of privacy, or, I don’t know, locked doors.”

“Why is there a bed in that room, Bill?”

“What?”

“And a computer when there’s a perfectly good laptop on your coffee table?”

Bill was quiet.

“You don’t have a roommate. So there’s only one explanation.”

“That I’m too lazy to walk to the other room after a day of cramming?”

Mabel huffed, stepping more into the light and pushing her human fists into the mattress beside Bill. “I may not be the smart twin but I’m not stupid, Bill. That stuff was for Dipper, wasn’t it?”

“No.”

“Liar.”

“I don’t lie, it’s beneath me.”

“Well you aren’t telling the truth, Bill.”

“I don’t need to explain anything to you, Shooting Star.”

“Bet that’s what you tell Dipper all the time, huh?”

He didn’t answer. He didn’t owe Dipper explanations either.

“You’re both big dummy’s. You can’t even let him in. That’s what I was forgetting. He needs to know things, information, feelings, reasons, he needs to know you to be stronger, to form a bond. He pulled and you weren’t ready. Did you give him false hope, Bill?”

“Go back to Dot. It’s too early for an interrogation.”

“Maybe we can figure it out together, Bill. You can let him in, I’m sure if you do that you’ll both be happier.”

“Go away.” He pulled the blanket over him.

“But Bill, you can help him.”

“Not now, Shooting Star, I’m tired.”

“What were you doing the before he fell?”

Veronica and Xavier’s face flashed through Bill’s mind and he clamped it off. “Nothing.”

“Bill,” Mabel whined, pulling at the blanket.

“It’s none of your business. It’s none of anyone’s business. Back off!” Bill fully intended to get up and guide her out of his already open door to let the Guardian in human form out but he’d done so too quickly. The sudden jolt pushed Mabel from the bed, forcing her to topple outside the door and bang her head on the corner of Dipper’s book fort, a wall falling to her weight. A pop in the air sounded and she’d reverted back to a star once more.

Groggy but alert Dot opened the door to the room he’d been in and saw his brother standing in a pair of pajama pants bending over his small Guardian.

“Hey! Don’t touch her!”

Bill’s head snapped up, “Don’t yell at me. She’s the one who snuck into my room.”

“That doesn’t mean you can push her around.” Dot moved forward, carefully avoiding touching Bill as he lifted Mabel into his hands.

“Whatever, just, tell her to wait until I’ve had my first cup of coffee before she starts interrogating me about nonsensical things.” And for the second time in the span of a few hours Bill locked himself in his room.

“Interrogating?” Dot asked, looking down at Mabel.

“I can’t help, Dipper, but I can help Bill help him.”


	9. Losing Grip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's about my usual length, so not as monstrous as the last one but just as good I hope.  
> I'm getting so excited for the upcoming chapters. Hopefully I do them as much justice physically as they are in my head :)
> 
> Questions, comments, reviews welcome. I love to answer and chat.

The sound of pans clinking and oil sizzling, the smell of coffee and burnt toast, it was all very warm. It was sort of like home. Had summer come early? Did he get to his finals on time? Did he even pass them? No, he was still in his apartment, the light from the window was too diffused for the clear morning air of Gravity Falls. Definitely still in Berkeley.

Bill groaned, his alarm hadn’t gone off yet so it was definitely before 8 a.m. Turning over to look at the clock he couldn’t help the second groan, his hands flying up to smack at his face. “It’s six thirty, why the hell are they up at six thirty?”

Shuffling around his room Bill decided it wasn’t worth getting dressed just yet so he donned a sweater he’d received from Aunt Mo his last Birthday and a pair of socks. When he opened the door he half expected to find Mabel parked there and waiting for him to emerge. Luckily the living room was empty, they both must have been in the kitchen which was blocked partially by a wall, the only thing he could see was a set table. He took a few steps toward the kitchen and paused when something caught his eye.

On the cushion of the couch, right where Bill left him, was Dipper. The only disturbance was a small dip in the couch that meant someone had been sitting beside him for a moment. His color was still the same, his eye closed, unmoving. What had Mabel said last night? Had she insinuated somehow that this was his fault? Or was it Dipper’s fault? It was clearly someones fault and Bill was never keen on it being his; simply wasn’t how he operated. His hands fisted, teeth gritting. What was he supposed to do?

“Unnerving isn’t it?”

Bill’s head shot up from his Guardian’s form to Dot. He was dressed in a different pair of pants and shirt, though he hadn’t seen Dot come with an overnight bag. Bill didn’t think he’d leave early then six just to purchase a new outfit for the day. Then again Bill wasn’t sure exactly how much money Dot had. The money their parents had set aside for their children had been put away until they turned twenty one, although the courts were still open to disregarding Dot’s half of the wares. Bill was prepared to fight it if his brother asked him to.

“I watched Mabel sit like that for a pretty long time. I was always afraid of holding her too tight or wondering if she could breath if I put her in my pocket. It wasn’t like I had any other examples to go by. There weren’t many kids with Guardian’s in my area.”

“Everyone had one in Gravity Falls.”

Bill watched Dot’s face, he found it fascinating. Not a single emotion was betrayed on his brother’s visage. His eyes seemed to condescend the blonde, lips sit in a straight line, it was like being looked at like a small naughty child. It was Bill’s face. When he looked in the mirror over the years he would smile, knowing that despite having tanner skin and brighter eyes he shared a face with his twin. He could almost imagine Dot was happy to see him. But the face staring at him now wasn’t either of theirs. It was their father’s, that was the way he often looked at them in almost every memory Bill had of the man.

Without another word Dot turned around and walked into the kitchen. Bill followed after sneaking one last glance at his Guardian. Mabel was at the table, occupying on of the four plastic seats he had. Bill hadn’t hosted much more then study sessions so the appearance of what were typically used as lawn chairs didn’t bother him. Dot walked over to the table with two plates and put them down before walking over to fill up coffee cups. Since Mabel was already munching on a piece of toast and jam Bill was under the assumption the second plate was for him.

“You didn’t have to.” Bill said, sitting across from the small brown haired Guardian; she was pretty, for a child of course.

Dot returned with a mug full of coffee for he and Bill. “It’s your food. It would have been improper if I didn’t make something for you too.”

Bill had a feeling the proper thing wasn’t exactly what Dot was concerned with.

“I’m sorry about, Mabel. She’s just concerned.”

Biting into the strip of bacon from his plate he glanced down at Mabel and then back up to Dot. He swallowed and smiled. The kind of smile that was so sincere Dot nearly dropped the fork in his hand. “It’s fine, we all do crazy things for our siblings.”

 

* * *

 

After breakfast Bill said he had to get ready for class. Mabel mentioned that she was going to dig through some of Dipper’s things to see if she could find something that could help them out. Bill wasn’t even sure how she was going to do that; considering he didn’t even know Dipper had things. Dot didn’t look keen on staying but as he had no class or work for the next couple of days all he asked was whether he could use the computer in the room he slept in. So Bill handed Dot his extra key in case he needed to leave and left.

He made it halfway to campus before he turned around to find a familiar brunette following him.

“What is it, Shooting Star?” Bill asked, turning to stare down the Guardian.

“I forgot to give you something this morning. With Dipper out of commission you’re going to need this.” Mable raised her small hand and let loose a chain where a golden triangle hung, markings burned into its otherwise smooth surface.

“You’re giving me jewelry?”

“Magic jewelry.”

“I can take care of myself, Shooting Star. I’ve never been in a situation I couldn’t talk myself out of.”

“Guardians come at a time when we are most needed and you’re walking around unprotected. This should help against most small things. So, just try to come home in one piece. I don’t want Dipper to wake up with you in a wheelchair.”

Bill reached out, accepting the chained charm. “Don’t think he’d mind really… ow!”

Glaring down at the girl Mabel looked up at him with just as equal an anger, marbles somehow sitting in her hand. “We’re Guardian’s, Bill, for some reason we care. It’s weird and mumbo jumbo-ey but it’s a real kind of care. You just need to stop being such a butthead. So wear your necklace and if you take it off I’ll know.” Mabel made a motion with her hands, pointing two fingers from her eyes to his body before turning around and marching away.

Fighting with Mabel was probably a pointless endeavor so Bill dropped the pendant over his neck and continued his walk to class. He didn’t feel any different, but humoring the Guardian was better then not. He had finals to get prepared for and no doubt he would spend time listening to Mabel go on more about how Dipper’s current state was his fault. This was all one really large inconvenience. When he’d been hoping for a Guardian as a kid he’d always imagined they’d be like him. Sarcastic and witty, intelligent with just enough mischief in their bones to keep up with him. They wouldn’t leave him either, for any reason; that was important.

Was that so hard to ask?

His first class passed without anything eventful happening. Developmental psychology wasn’t like his Biology class, he barely had to study to retain the information he needed. It was as he was packing his bag and walking out that he was stopped.

“Mr. Cipher.” Bill stopped, turning to meet the teachers eye. He’d never legally changed his name but every teacher had respectfully used the name he gave them when asked at the beginning of the semester. “Is everything all right?”

“Of course, sir, why wouldn’t it be? Is this about my last paper? I know it’s not my usual length but I felt I was able to convey the point in just five pages, I’m positive it still reaches the required word count.”

“Yes, it does. That isn’t why I’m asking. You are unaccompanied today.”

Bill smiled, he needed this teacher to like him. He was the one who would be giving Bill a letter of recommendation for an internship he’d sought out next semester. “Everything is fine, Mr. Harvey. My Guardian is around, but he finds the classroom boring.”

“Really? He did seem to enjoy taking notes right alongside you. Another of your professors is a friend of mine, he admits to giving the Guardian a few extra tips as to what to study for in your next test.”

Bill grit his teeth. Why do people keep expecting him to explain himself? “My Guardian is home, with his sister.”

“Sister? Guardian’s don’t have siblings, they aren’t born like us.”

That had already occurred to Bill. Dipper had never mentioned a sister when he first arrived, or the time after. It wasn’t until Mabel scooped him out of the air and proclaimed him her brother that he knew anything. Even then he’d sort of accepted it, who was he to deny them what they say. They seemed familiar enough.

“Mine does. If you don’t mind, Mr. Harvey, I’d really like to grab a snack before my next class.”

Mr. Harvey shooed him off, a contemplative look on the professor’s face. He didn’t have class for another hour. Normally, he and Dipper would converse about the class and grab some coffee from the cafe just down the street from his next class but Dipper wasn’t there. Bill instead walked out towards the library, crossing the large green explains in front of it instead of meandering the cement trail. He was going to return a couple of the books Dipper had finished and grab one more for light reading, perhaps make his way over to the demonology section and find something useful.

He was halfway across the open grass when something a sound like someone pounding on a door hurt his eardrum. He slapped his hand against his ear and looked down at the ground where a football was sitting harmlessly in front of him. He quirked a brow picking it up in his hands. He didn’t play sports outside of requirement really but he’d been particularly fond of the brutality of football.

“Are you alright? That should have knocked you out or at least given you some serious bruising. My friend has an arm but horrible aim… don’t I know you?”

Turning to look at the voice, his usual facade of impassiveness stuttered. It was the girl. He’d never seen her on campus before and then suddenly there she was. Hair still pink and pulled into two curly pigtails and feet still adorned in heels that probably weren’t safe to be worn in the grass. Her eyes, he noted now, were a dark brown color and seemed to give him a look of wonder. They stared at each other until the heavy footfalls of several others approached.

“Woah, man did you see that?”

“It just bounced right off of him.”

“I told you guys that we should have played somewhere else.”

“Hey, Vero, stop gawking like a kid.”

“Wha-what? Hey!” she smacked the guy next to her. A small red haired guy with a large grin, he promptly smacked her back in the arm and leaned forward towards Bill.

“Sorry, man, you look like the kind of guy who probably gets it all the time.”

Shaking off whatever shock may have still been lingering beneath his skin Bill skimmed over the group, there were four people but there had been five voices. Sitting on the shoulder of a taller, lankier boy was a small red hexagon shaped Guardian. For a moment he contemplated before turning his attention back to the one girl. He flipped the ball in his hands for a moment, as if trying to gather what to say.

“It’s fine. Pyronica, right?” Bill pointed the ball at the girl, dropping his weight to one leg, using the length of his hair to his advantage by allowing it to fall over an eye. This was something he learned gave him almost ‘mysterious’ air, people tended to question him less. He pointed the ball at the second familiar figure, “And you, hmm,”

Damn, what was his name again?

“The Being Whose Name Must Never be Said.”

This earned a couple of laughs. Oh wait, he remembered!

“Just kidding, Xanthar.”

“Actually it’s Xavier.”

“No, I very specifically remember it being Xanthar.” The snickers from his friends were good natured and Bill couldn’t help the near sincere smile. He tossed the ball at grinning red haired one. “You can have that back, Teeth. Don’t think I’d trust it in your friends hands quite yet.”

“Name’s actually-“

“I know what I said.” Bill cut the guy off. He was shorter then Bill but no doubt older. Despite that he seemed to take it all in good humor.

“I actually already have a nickname, friends call me 8-Ball. This is my Guardian, Hector.” Bill turned his attention to the last guy of the group, he was gangly and tall, wearing a school sweater and his hair was a shade of green that Pine Tree could have gotten lost in. His Guardian Demon was a vivid shade of red as well as shaped like a hexagon and instead of the one large eye that most Demon’s had as their trademark there was a large pair of lips and … is that mustache?

“Huh, well aren't you quite the pair.”

“Where’s your Guardian?” Bill didn’t turn, but his eyes did shift to look at the source. It was Pyronica (he was decidedly sticking with the nicknames for now) her eyes were searching his body, although not in the way he was accustomed.

“You have a Guardian? I’m a Demonology major, a couple of us have Guardian Demons and some don’t, like Pyronica. But I haven’t seen anyone on this campus with one that wasn’t in the major.” 8-Ball seemed pretty excited but Bill only raised his hand to quiet the taller man and shook his head.

“He’s not with me today. That’s all I have to say on the matter.”

“That’s unusual. Guardian’s don’t typically leave their charges alone. It’s a bit of an anomaly actually.” Pyronica started to lean forward, as if to examine Bill. One cold glare stopped her in her tracks and she took a step back.

“Sorry,” 8-Ball started, noticing the interaction. “You really can’t blame us. We study these kinds of things all the time but it’s just different to actually see an abandoned post.”

Bill sputtered rather inelegantly, hands forming fists as he took a step forward towards the green haired student. In a flash the red Guardian stood before him, obviously noting the ill intent. “Move it, Hectorgon. Listen, 8-Ball, let’s get one thing straight, I was not abandoned. I am not alone.”

“Well it looks to me-“

“He’s right.” Hector cut his charge off. “You’re different aren’t you, Cipher?”

“How did you-“

“I’m a Demon of Inquiry, I like to ask things, which means I know things.”

“But you didn’t even ask.” Bill pointed out.

“Don’t have ta, I got magic on my side. Don’t worry, I can’t find out much on you, I’m limited to basic information; I’d need to use more magic then it’s worth to get past your barriers. You’ve got a pretty familiar signature on you.”

Pyronica’s eyes seemed to light up again as she turned her full attention to Hector. “Is it someone higher up on the hierarchy?”

“Not just someone, someones. In our dimension we call them the Mystery Twins. They’re brother and sister. They’re younger demon’s and keep to themselves and their mentor so it’s unlikely most Demon’s even know what they look like. I work hand in hand with the boy sometimes, he’s got more questions then I do but that’s what you get being a Demon of Reality. That’s really the only reason I’m able to recognize his and his sister’s energy signature on this kid.”

Pyronica had already pulled out a small notebook and was jotting down notes. “Fascinating, you know so much, Hector.”

“That’s my job!” He gave a thumbs up to 8-Ball whose chest was puffed up in pride. They were obviously an information duo. 8-Ball noted Bill’s silent demeanor and he briskly brushed a hand on the teen’s shoulder.

“You okay, Cipher?” he asked.

“Hierarchy? Mystery Twins? Demon of reality? He told me he was a Demon of Observation.” Bill had managed to fix his exterior, but his insides were buzzing. He’d done much of his own research growing up but these books never mentioned anything about anomaly’s amongst the Demons.

“Yeah? He’s like that. Kind of modest about that kind of stuff. Not like his sister, she takes what she’s given and doesn’t think much more about it. Good lot of mischief in that one.”

“Is- is there a difference?” Bill muttered.

“Gee, kid. What are you 18? You must have had your Guardian long enough to know these kinds of things. He loves sharing his findings and all kinds of information with people. How don’t you know your own Guardian?”

 

* * *

  
Pressing enter, Dot leaned back in the chair and stretched his back. He’d spent the last hour trying to get past the firewall of Mr. Crawford’s office building without setting the usual alarms off. It wasn’t hard stuff but he’d had to secure the computer and make sure it was up for the challenge before he’d even got to work. As soon as Bill’d left and he’d finished cleaning up after himself he’d asked Mabel to bring a couple of things from home before she set to work looking through Dipper’s things.

The thought of Bill put a frown on Dot’s lips. That morning had been far from pleasant. There hadn’t been any arguments but it was painful after the night they’d had. When he’d woken up to see Bill looming over Mabel it had taken everything in him not to collapse. He saw that look, that outrage in Dipper’s eyes. He was ready to draw blood. And even though Dot was pretty sure he couldn’t really hurt Mabel, he didn’t want to take chances. So he’d gotten up, he’d made breakfast, he’d apologized; all to keep Mabel safe.

Dot breathed in deep and let it out slowly, sitting up once more to look at the screen. It would be another twenty minutes or so before all the information he needed was gathered. He supposed he could take a look at some of his emails on his phone while he waited. That was when a crash sounded from the living room and Dot was off his seat in a second.

“Mabel?” Dot scanned the area before noticing that Mabel was sitting, leg’s crossed, at the center of Dipper’s book fort.

“Oops, bro bro will not be happy when he wakes up.” Standing up, Dot noticed that she was carrying something. “I’ll just remake it for him; bigger better!”

“Mabel, you scared me. Why did you transform in the middle of the fort anyway?”

Mabel looked over, just noticing Dot. “It was an accident I swear. My protection spell went off and I guess I reacted. Not sure why I reacted by transforming but it happened.” She shrugged.

“Your protection spell?”

“Yeah, the one I gave to Bill.”

Dot’s brows furrowed. “You gave Bill a protection spell?”

“Uh, doi, he doesn’t have Dipper’s so I had to make sure he would survive the day. Don’t want him falling into a manhole and getting eaten by a crocodile.”

“Is he okay?” Dot had asked before he’d even known what he was saying. It startled him.

“Yeah, he’s a little confused but he’s not hurt or anything.” Mabel went and plopped herself down next to her comatose brother, tucking her legs underneath her as she placed a book on her lap. “Dipper likes to keep a lot of notes in the books he reads. Most of them are about Bill, his habits and other things he sees but some of them are notes to me. I knew he couldn’t live without me.”

Dot leaned over to look at the book. It was a psychology text book, but there wasn’t anything other then the words on the page. “Is the ink invisible?”

“Oh I forgot,” Mabel looked up. “Dipper writes using his energy, he solidifies fact from fiction that way and also makes it so he can change it if he needs to; way more effect then erasing. Not a lot of people can read it.”

“I’m going to assume you can read it.”

“Yep. He has this habit, where he picks a book and writes all the juicy stuff inside it. I’ve been going through all the books to see if I can find the one. So far, no luck.”

Dot nodded. Dipper was still completely down for the count. There wasn’t even a twitch. It both unnerved Dot and gave him a sick sort of enjoyment. On the one hand, Bill deserved for his Guardian to never wake up, on the other he didn’t want for Mabel to get hurt in the process. There was also the fact that it wasn’t fair to Dipper. He didn’t know the Guardian that well but Mabel obviously loved him and he’d given no reason before to be considered a threat. That was that, Dipper needed to wake up.

“We’re going to be here a while aren’t we, Mabel?”

Mabel looked up, her wide green eyes so innocent and so mixed with worry. Dot would give anything to erase that worry. “I know you aren’t comfortable with it Dot. I also know it probably isn’t safe; being close to Bill, I mean.”

Dot flinched. Did she think he would hurt Bill? Mabel certainly hadn’t figured out the truth of what happened all those years ago and Dot wasn’t ready to make that revelation just yet, if ever.

“It’s different now though.”

Dot frowned. “Why do you keep saying that, Mabel? Because we’re older? Because Bill has a Guardian? If you haven’t noticed, even his Guardian is trying to get away from him.”

His tone wasn’t harsh but Mabel’s cheeks paled at the insinuation and her mouth fell agape. Dot didn’t usually have anything worse to say to Mabel other then the usual jest about her cooking skills. Mabel didn’t like what was happening here. She’d always played with the idea that the guilt sitting along the back of Dot’s subconscious was for Bill. But now, in this moment, she couldn’t sense the guilt, just the steady hum of anger and frustration.

“Because … because…” she tried to grasp the right words. “Bill is, he’s…”

“He’s a liar. He’s a manipulator and a psychopath.”

“I know,” she whispered.

“You know? What’s that mean, Mabel? Frankly, I’m a little concerned that you aren’t worried what could happen with me and Bill under the same roof.” A ping sounded from the computer, signaling that all the information was gathered. “I’ve got to finish my work. If you’re so worried about Bill you can tell him the good news.”

“Good news?” Mabel looked confused.

“That he’ll get to sleep with one eye open for a while.” Dot’s tone was like ice. Mabel had only felt this once before with Dot. It normally sat in the confines of his subconscious, just barely surfacing when he was playing one of his power roles. She could normally help by warming him up with jokes and a tug at his more pleasant emotional triggers but she could feel the block before she even tried. Dot wasn’t shuttering her out, but he was letting her know that he didn’t want to be trifled with.

He walked through the door leaving Mabel to stare after him. There was so much that Dot didn’t know, more then she was even good at explaining. If she could just find a way to wake Dipper up maybe everything would be okay.

Something inside Mabel told her that wasn’t likely but she was nothing if not a determined Guardian.


	10. When You were Young

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes I wonder if I'm writing too over everyone's head. It was so hard writing this chapter because I wanted to say some things but not say all things. Basically, I was compromising with myself the entire time. Writing is hard.

“So you knew him before Hectorgon showed up?”

“Oh sure, we lived on the same street, went to the same daycare, our parents actually went to prom together. It isn’t a huge town.”

“I know something about small towns.”

“You were a same house as far as the eye can see, everyone knows everyone kind of kid? I doubt that, you seem so… large.”

“Well I don’t know about same house. Our closest neighbor was about fifteen minutes away but the trees that surrounded us definitely started to look alike after a while. I can relate to everyone knowing everyone though.”

“Woah, country kid?”

“Not really, middle-of-nowhere Oregon kid.”

“Bet your parents were as paranoid about letting you go as mine were.”

Mabel had been listening to the conversation as soon as the front door opened. She’d been curled up on the couch with a new book in her hands, a mythology book. She could have blocked out the conversation or sneaked into the room with Dot but her curiosity had peaked at the sound of a second, female, voice. Did Bill have a girlfriend?

Curiously she poked her head over the edge of the couch to look at the pair, still standing in the doorway. Bill was leaning against the doorframe, his hair tousled from the light wind. Beside him was a girl who looked like wearing pink wasn’t just a fashion choice, it was a religion. Mabel could tell instantly she was enraptured with Bill.

Since seeing Bill again she hadn’t heard him sound so calm, so happy. That is, until this girl mentioned his and Dot’s parents. It was cracking again; Mabel raised her head a little higher.

Bill’s face was turned down. If Mabel didn’t know better it would look simply as if he were thinking. However, she did know better and she could see the way his lips struggled to find the right words to respond. Right when the girl was starting to notice Mabel popped her head up a little further. She’d never seen Bill struggle for more then a second or two to respond to something and it unnerved her.

“Welcome home.” Mabel cried, standing fully on her knees to make her presence known. If she wasn’t quick enough she would have missed the breath of relief Bill puffed out.

“Shooting Star, I didn’t see you there.” Bill stood straighter, moving over towards the couch, waving for the girl to follow him in. “This is Pyronica. She studies Demonology at the school.”

“Actually, it’s Veronica, nice to meet you.” The girl held her hand out.

“I like Pyronica better. I’m Mabel.” She took her hand.

“I like Shooting Star better.”

Mabel giggled and let go of Pyronica’s hand to hoist herself up onto the back of the couch, mindful not to bounce her sleeping brother. “Oh I like you.”

“You aren’t so bad yourself, kid. Bill you have a sister?”

Bill was leaning against the couch now, arms crossed. “No, she’s not-“

“I’m a Guardian.” Mabel said, waving her fingers in a way that caused little sparks of magic to dance along her fingers. “But thanks, I think I’m pretty convincing too.”

Pyronica had paused, her mouth agape. The other two occupants in the room glanced at each other sharing a wickedly amused smile. They both noticed it was a missed opportunity to have some fun but knew they could do it again. When she was with Dot, Mabel often enjoyed letting other’s believe she was just a regular kid hanging out with her favorite person.

“Don’t be so shocked, Pyronica. If you study this stuff then you know it’s bound to happen.”

“It’s not that I’m shocked. I’ve just never seen a Guardian do it before. Of course it happens but it’s rare and they look so human. I thought for sure you’d still be able to tell that they weren’t human. How do you pick out your features.” Pyronica leaned closer, her nose almost touching Mabel’s.

“Uhh, personal bubble, please.” the Guardian leaned back, causing Pyronica to lean forward even more.

“Bill could we take her to the school. My Professor would love to meet her. Do they have the same organs as us?”

Mabel eeped and popped back into her star form, zipping out of the room and into Dot’s before another word could be said. Bill chuckled, he was about to mention who displeased his brother was going to be but when he turned back to Pyronica he noticed her attention had gone elsewhere. She was looking down at Dipper’s form, still unchanged.

“This is your Guardian Demon, from the other day. You weren’t kidding, he isn’t moving at all. He’s been like this for a day and a half now?”

Bill grunted an affirmation.

“Bill, what’s this about cutting Mabel open?” Dot paused as he walked in, taking in the pink haired Pyronica who leaned over Dipper.

The dark blue-black hair was touseled, as if he’d been running his fingers through it every ten seconds or so. His eyes look shot, probably from staring at the computer screen for so long and that was affirmed by rolled up sleeves and line that was pressed into his pale skin from keeping his hands on the table and over the keyboard. Dot looked every bit the business man on his day off, even with a dorky bowl cut, Bill thought.

Pyronica was the first to respond, standing straighter and walking towards Dot and Mabel; the latter having perched herself atop the older twin’s head. “To be fair, I never said I’d cut her open.”

This girl was too confident for Dot’s taste. It wasn’t like Whitney’s or Mabel’s confidence either. It was the kind that said she had used it to get everything she wanted in the world and Dot had met enough of those people. People who used their attractiveness as a tool, people who assumed that because they were pretty they should get what they want. People like Bill. Dot only shoved his hands in his pockets and pressed his shoulder against the doorframe of the door; two could play at this game. Dot wasn’t a fool, he shared Bill’s features after all.

Pyronica stuttered in the sway of her hips at the change in Dot’s demeanor. She hadn’t been prepared for that at all. It was like meeting Bill all over again, this was the first check.

“Some things don’t need to be said,” Dot leaned forward, a smirk starting to play on his lips, “Nobody needs to hear anything, actually.”

And that was checkmate.

Pyronica cleared her throat and took a step back. “Right, well, it was a pleasure to meet you. I’m sorry, Mabel, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

She turned and stopped by Bill who was watching with an amused little smile of his own. “See if you can’t talk to your professor about this, you’ve got my number.”

“Oh, right, sure. I’ll do that. I’ve got to go dinner, to dinner… I have to go make dinner. Bye.” With that Pyronica opened and closed the door with a soft snick leaving the twins to their own devices.

When Bill turned back to his brother Dot was back to his usual disheveled, mousey self. Mabel had moved down to his shoulder where her eye was turned into a small smile, her form illuminating the side of his face in various colors.

“Who would have thought. Where’d that come from Dot?” Bill asked, turning around to find his backpack where he’d left it at the door. He needed to settle down for a bit more studying before he could call it a day.

“I picked up a few things.” He didn’t need to elaborate.

“Shooting Star just let you bully people like that?” He sunk down against the couch and pulled the bag closer to him.

“It’s not bullying. I’m not scaring them into doing things for me. I’m just giving them a taste of their own medicine so they won’t try and mess with me. I didn’t like her.” Dot was leaning against the doorframe again.

“I think she could lose all the flash, but I like her.”

“Mabel, no.”

“What? Anyone who makes such a bold fashion statement can’t be all that bad.”

Bill listened to them banter as he pulled out his notebook and books. Highlighters, pencils and erasers were tossed on the coffee table and he was about to get up and grab his usual bottles of water when he saw the state of the book fort. It looked like something had exploded in the middle of it. Before Bill knew it he was sitting in front of the books and arranging them back into the order he remembered. So engrossed was he in the project that he hadn’t noticed it’d fallen silent.

It wasn’t until he noticed a book was missing that he looked up to see his brother seated on the opposite side of the fort, following Mabel’s instruction about where everything went. Dot caught his eye and as if a flash of the past came back for them Dot nodded over to the couch. Bill followed the movement and saw the missing book. Wordlessly he got up and retrieved the book.

“Oh wait,” Mabel zipped over to him, sitting on the spine of the book. “I’m still looking at that one.”

“Really? I don’t think unicorns are in this book, Shooting Star.”

“I’m so over unicorns. There’s like this talking head with the worst attitude who keeps jumping in and out of our dimension. She was fun at first until she nearly got Dip Dop in some serious trouble.”

Bill had no idea what she was talking about but placed the book back on the couch nonetheless. “Okay, I’ll pretend that makes sense and just leave you to your light reading.”

Still sitting on the book Mabel looked up at Bill and wagged a long black finger at him. “It’s not light reading, I’m trying to find something that will help us wake Dipper up.”

“In a mythology book?” Bill asked, seating himself back at the book fort, handing a book over to Dot since it didn’t belong on his side.

“Technically, yes. Apparently Dipper likes to write notes in your books.” Dot said. He motioned for Bill to hand him another one on his side.

Bill handed him the book he asked for falling silent as he put together one of the towers. He’d seen Dipper write in the books, it wasn’t new to him. He’d always assumed it was just a tick of the Guardians, to record what he saw and learned. How much of it could really be all that important?

He finished putting the last book on top of the tower and leaned back. Looking up, Bill noticed Mabel had returned to Dot, telling him that the dictionary was supposed to be a part of the base. His curiosity won out.

“What does he write about?”

Dot looked up at him, “What do you think?”

“He writes about you. We’re Guardians and our job is to know you like the back of our hands.” Zipping over to Dot’s messenger bag, which was in clear view through the open door of the bedroom, Mabel pulled out a book and came back.

“Mabel, that’s private.” Dot cried, standing on his knees to reach the Guardian before she got to Bill. She was faster, however and dropped it in the blonde’s lap.

“This is my record. I was fixing it up last night. It’s got everything about Dot and what he likes and doesn’t like. Not every Guardian Demon does it but most of us have some way of keeping all the information down.”

“It’s a scrapbook.” Bill looked over the book. The front was covered in stickers both puffy and scented. Scrawled in pink glittery writing was ‘Dot and Mabel’ and underneath a date, he assumed it was the date she’d woken up. The first page was a picture of a young Dot, his hand trying to cover the lens of the camera. He was laughing, dressed in the uniform of a prisoner, but looking absolutely happy. Mabel’s pink letters spelled out: _Dot is ten. He likes mashed potatoes, computers, puzzles, and the color blue. He doesn’t like the dark, yellow bell peppers, a lot of glitter (he’ll grow out of that), or banjo music. He needs to smile more._

Bill swallowed hard and turned the page. “Dot is super quiet. He is a twin, just like me. We don’t talk about it much, but that’s okay. He likes to talk about smart people things. He loves sci fi movies.” There were two pictures on this page. The first one is Dot at the computer, his feet dangling from the tall chair. He was leaning forward in concentration, trying unsuccessfully to block out his trigger happy Guardian. The second picture was definitely taken without Dot’s knowing. He was sitting in a room amongst a couple of other boys, his form curled into one of the three bean bag chairs that was present. A piece of popcorn caught in midair on it’s way to his mouth, eyes wide as he watched the large projection of the alien movie being screened.

Glancing up at Dot, the older twin was leaning back on his hands, watching Bill. There was a feeling in Dot’s chest that felt vaguely invasive but he was trying to shrug it off. Mabel, next to Bill, seemed to be intently watching and though Dot was still a bit angry with his Guardian he trusted her and he didn’t intend on revoking that trust. He returned his brother’s gaze and even nudged his chin towards the book, telling him it was okay to go on.

Taking a handful of pages Bill turned the pages. This image wasn’t as old. Scrawled over the top of the page was Happy Birthday Dot Matrix. The image was Dot, looking as he did now, in a pair of jeans and what Bill had to assume was his favorite floppy disc sweater. Mabel stood beside him, her brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and holding a large stuffed pig. They were at a fair, the ferris wheel in the background and carnival styled games giving a colorful background. Dot was smiling, one hand mussing the Guardian’s hair the other holding a sack of prizes they’d probably won. There were a few more things written at the bottom of the page: _It’s the big 1 8 and Dot’s never been to the fair. It’s been two months since we were let out and Dot doesn’t stop smiling. Today we also gained a new member of the family, Cuddles!_

“Bill?” Mabel’s small voice broke Bill from the book, looking up but only seeing a star shaped blur.

Closing the book, Bill slid the book away from him. Slowly he raised his hands to dab at the feather like tickle on his cheeks. He looked at his hands, confused as to why his fingertips were damp. He took a long, shaky breath. He looked up at his brother, his twin once more. Dot’s expression hadn’t changed, he still looked at Bill with little to no interest. They weren’t enemies, they never had been. Bill had always loved his brother and only his brother. There was no one else worth loving except for Dot. What did Dot really think of him? When he was standing in the middle of a fair with Mabel, did he think about Bill?

As kids they’d talked about doing things other kids did. Their parents often kept them confined to their home and personal tutors. They were allowed to the library so long as they didn’t talk to anyone. They were allowed at the park so long as they only spoke to each other. Both places were mere minutes away from the four bedroom white picket fence house they called home. They would play in the sandbox and pretend it was the beach, they would darken the room and eat popcorn like they were at the theater, they could stack blocks and knock them over like carnival games. Bill would never forget how much his brother meant to him in those few seconds they had to clean everything up before mother or father caught them making a mess.

“Bill?” This time that voice was without a doubt Dot’s. Bill’s gaze drifted, becoming unfocused.

Mabel began to hum, the colors along her edges switching between colors at a more rapid pace then normal. She zipped over to Dot and pulled at his sleeve. “I think we should leave him alone.”

Dot had only ever heard that note in her voice when she was anxious, when she was protecting him. “Mabel, what’s wrong?” He turned to his brother, “Bill?”

“Dot, please?” Mabel pushed, trying to drag him to the room they’d been occupying. She knew there was a lock there.

Shaking his head Dot turned back to Bill. The blonde has sitting with his hands curled up, muttering questions under his breath. His eyes were still watering, but not unleashing anymore tears. Something tugged at Dot, a memory. He’d seen his brother like this before. Bill had always had a temper and right before he’d lash out he’d cry. There had been nothing to make Bill angry this time, however, but it was still the same concept. Like it was second nature Dot pulled away from his Guardian and quickly shuffled away from her small fingers until he was kneeling in front of his brother.

“Bill, listen to me. It’s Dot,”

“What did I do?” Bill was muttering in soft tones but Dot managed to capture a few.

“We should probably go to bed.”

“Why did I do that?” Dot gripped his brother’s wrists. He hadn’t done this in years, so many years, but it was so natural. His other half needed him.

“We can build a fort.”

“We?”

“We’ll name the constellations out the window.”

“It’s my fault, isn’t it.”

“Orion, Pegasus, Capricornus, Virgo, Pavo,” Nonsense sounds were leaving Bill, but he head was leaning against Dot and for some reason the older twin couldn’t find the will to shake him. He continued, “Scorpius, Mensa, Ursa Major.”

“Ursa Minor.” Bill finally said.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Bill fell silent. It didn’t take long for Dot to realize the younger twin was asleep. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Mabel, sitting atop one of the towers, her fingers twiddling. “What did you do?” she whispered.

“He was always like that as a kid. We called it Weirdmageddon because Bill always described it as a weird end-of-the-world feeling. It didn’t happen a lot, maybe once every few months. He’d just fall asleep afterwards. Our parents never noticed, they didn’t pay enough attention to us anyway, and we never told them.”

“That was so dangerous,” Mabel said, her tone urgent, scared even.

“No, it’s really not. He just kind of sits their and mutters a lot. Scared me a bit as a kid but he never did anything bad because of it.”

“You mean he never did anything bad to you.” she replied.

Dot raised a brow and gently lowered his brother to the ground, making sure he wouldn’t hit his head on the coffee table if he suddenly jolted awake. “Did I just say that?” Dot wasn’t annoyed, just trying to reassure Mabel he hadn’t been in any danger. “Couldn’t you have calmed him down? Or, I don’t know warned me?”

“I did warn you.”

“I mean before, not right when it was happening.” Dot stood up and made his way to the kitchen. He was going to make some tea and then finish some homework for an online class.

Mabel followed him, “I couldn’t have. When it comes to Bill, I’m clouded. I can only see what’s on the surface. Dipper would be better at it.”

She watched Dot pull out the tea and start the kettle on the stove. Already Dot was settling in, picking out the most obvious places for his brother to put things with ease. He barely had to look for where Bill had put the spices that morning for breakfast. Mabel found it fascinating.

“Better at pulling emotions then you?” Dot finally questioned. “I find that hard to believe.”

“No, better at keeping reality from falling out from under him.” Mabel was back to being a small girl. Standing in between the living room and the kitchen. Her hands gripping the scrapbook Bill had discarded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After looking at this chapter I'm debating on drawing some things just for the fun of it. Seriously, I really want to see Dipper in his book fort. I'd have to find a platform to put the doodles on because adding art to stories in AO3 has some bugs, especially for mobile users. So what do you think? If you'd like to see any, suggest a platform so I can show you guys. And if you have any art to share, I'd love to see.


	11. Ordinary Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I love writing chapters like this. It seems all filler-ish and stuff but I get the opportunity to write where exactly everyone is at at this point in the story.  
> Dot is letting his guard down and Bill is over the moon about it. That's all I'll say for now :]

It had been two weeks now that Dot had occupied the apartment with Bill. Dipper had been moved into his book fort, newly remodeled and staying that way. They didn’t talk about that first day, or at least Bill didn’t. He was quiet, uncharacteristically so. Though it may have been a fault of both of theirs as they’d been working hard on passing their finals. Whenever Dot walked into the kitchen Bill was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee and one of his textbooks. Sometimes he’d ask no one a question but Dot suspected Dipper had been helping the blonde with his studying more than Bill cared to say.

Bill noticed as well the lack of communication but like his brother had deigned to remain quiet about it. Twice he’d watched Dot run out of the apartment in a hurry. The first time was because he was out of gummi bears and he couldn’t work without them, the second time because he needed a new external hard drive to manage the size of the files he was working on. Both times Mabel was trailing after him with words of encouragement and promises that he’d survive the semester in one piece.

Mabel hadn’t elaborated on her explanation after that first day, Dot hadn’t questioned any further. She knew he wouldn’t, he was still on the edge about Bill. She’d been shocked to watch the brother’s interact in such a familiar way but when it was done she saw Dot draw back into himself. She could tell that even he was unnerved by his own automatic inclination to care for his brother. Most days she stayed in the apartment. She’d presented Dot with his necklace and sent him off on his commute to class; he’d insisted she stay and help her own brother. It was proving to be way too many books and Mabel was no reader.

On the very last day of finals Bill returned home first. Dot’s last class ran just a few minutes later so Mabel waited. The small star was sitting on the coffee table, the TV displaying some cartoon, and several books surrounding her. She only turned when she heard the blonde twin plop down onto the couch behind her. Feet dangling over the back and body bent awkwardly so he wouldn’t have to look upside down, but nonetheless comfortable.

“Hey Shooting Star, any luck?” Bill asked the same question everyday. Mabel tried not to get frustrated by it but her patience had been wearing thin the last few days. Especially with her energy practically depleted, caring for both twins herself was exhausting. She barely had enough energy to transform. While Guardian’s didn’t sleep they did need to recharge and that energy often came from their charge. It wasn’t Dot’s fault though, Mabel just hadn’t anticipated needing to care for them both for so long.

“I found out you hate blueberries.” Mabel said, an unfailing chipper tone in her voice. She was adjusting to Bill and he often shared her particular brand of humor.

“Not hate, loathe. They are the bane of every muffin! There was this girl, Red, she would always bring muffins to the class. Half of them were chocolate chip and the other half were blueberry. What kind of trickery is that? Who does that to kids?” Bill questioned, his hand over his heart in feign hurt.

“She always gave you a blueberry muffin?” Mabel asked in between a small giggle.

“Red? Nah, she was cool. She always made sure to get me one of the chocolate chip.” Bill spent a moment thinking on the memory, a smile ghosting his lips. “I didn’t get along with a lot of people but she never let me shake her off. ‘I don’t scare of easily, Punk,’ she’d always say.”

“Why’d you call her Red?” Mabel liked talking to this side of Bill. Actually, she just liked talking to Bill. He had his moments, even back when he came to visit Dot, where she couldn’t find herself fully comfortable with him. But there was always something undeniably charming about Bill. Sometimes she wondered if it was because she was always waiting for Dipper, but after living with the blonde she knew that wasn’t entirely true.

Bill tugged at a lock of his own hair and said, “She had red hair. It fit her.”

“You sure like nicknames,” she acknowledged.

Bill hummed for a moment, glancing over at the book fort and then back at Mabel a wrinkle in his brow as he contemplated something. “They, hmm, let me try to explain it, just a second.” Righting himself, Bill stood up and walked out of the room only to come back with a stuffed goat, worn from years. “This is Gompers.”

Mabel giggled, “You have a favorite stuffed animal, Bill?”

“You have a stuffed pig for a sister?”

“Excuse you, Cuddles is a he, but touché.” her retort left them both with a smile. “So what about Gompers?”

Sitting back down Bill put Gompers on his lap, stroking the little hairs on his bearded chin inadvertently. “I got him when I went to live with Aunt Mo. Her Guardian had picked it out for me after a particularly rough week. Lack of sleep was a huge issue for me growing up. I still prefer this world to the dream world I guess.” he paused, looking out the window but Mabel quickly pulled his attention back to her with a tug on a chosen emotion; it was a mess in his head but she was slowly putting the pieces of Bill into a more stable place then it was before. She wasn’t nearly as fast at it as her brother would be but she worked with what she had.

“I carried the goat for a couple of days and my Aunt asked me one day what it’s name was. I didn’t know so I asked her Guardian. He told me it was my choice. I could pick whatever name I wanted for him.”

“So you picked Gompers?”

“I was ten, it was the first thing I could think of. It didn’t really matter what his name was though, just that he had one. It was a name that I picked because he’s mine.” He stopped petting the goat and pulled him closer. The goat took up a decent amount of Bill’s lap but it wasn’t a childish hug for a favorite toy, it was a possessive grasp at something precious to him. “One of my classes spoke about coping mechanisms that children develop after facing a traumatic experience. I didn’t understand it back then the way I do now, but I had begun naming things, even things that already had names. I figured if I named them then I could keep them, that they were more mine then anyone else’s. It was my own way of making sure people knew that this was a mark of Bill Cipher’s.”

The air from the open window drifted in and brushed over Bill’s form. He had remained neutral the entire time. He wasn’t angry, he wasn’t sad. The words were just that, words, facts. It was Bill, for once, just being honest. Even using the name Bill Cipher in the explanation. Bill named himself, in a way he was trying to secure that he belonged to only himself. The thought hit Mabel like a ton of bricks, her one eye widening as she moved forward and placed her small black hand on Bill’s.

“What about Dot?” She asked, her tone soothing. Mabel felt it, the little click of something inside Bill, something that she’d felt back when she’d first met Bill. Little by little the pieces had floated away in the two years since Bill last had contact with her and Dot but they were all still pieces of the same puzzle and if she concentrated hard enough she could pull at them until they were just barely touching.

Mabel didn’t know if Bill ever got help the way Dot did but if he did then he wasn’t anymore. She couldn’t describe it in human terms, their words were too technical but her abilities gave her an insight on the structure of a persons emotional state. It was strongest with Dot but as Bill was similar in more ways then one navigating his emotions was familiar. She described it once to Dot as a rubber band ball. The mind was the ball and the colors were the emotions but instead of a mess off colors like on the typical store bought balls a humans was coordinated all throughout. And each time one band was plucked there was a chance that the ball would unravel. Mabel didn’t have that problem, she could poke and prod at emotions and even invoke them (as humans are almost entirely emotion based) without harm, but with Bill it was different.

Bill wasn’t just a mess of colors, there were bands that had broken and others that had knotted. While the territory was familiar, in that the placement should have been the same as Dot’s, Mabel still kept finding herself stumped by things that should be there but weren’t. Her ability to manipulate emotions wasn’t the perfect solution for someone like Bill but it was helpful, her could almost be…sane.

The blonde shook his head and leaned back into the couch. “I don’t know. We didn’t name our toys or anything as kids. Maybe I subconsciously named him, or it was just too hard to say Donatello as a toddler.” Bill chucked, then spoke again his tone dark. “Or I didn’t want to say our old man’s name.”

The door opened at that moment letting in a new gust of air. Spring was making it’s way out but the California coast’s air was always cool and humid, banishing hotter summer air. Dot walked in, his cellphone to his ear and pulling off the messenger bag around his shoulders. He huffed under his breath, eyes briefly shooting up to see the top of Bill’s head over the couch and Mabel sitting in the mass of blonde hair.

“Sir, I understand, but it would really mean a lot to…No, sir. Yes, of course, I more than understand the parameters of my release.” Dot was silent, listening now or waiting, the other two weren’t sure. Brushing past them, Dot walked over to the window and opened it wider before making his way into the kitchen. They could hear the sound of the refrigerator door opening and the pop of a soda can before Dot reappeared.

When he sat down on the couch, phone still to his ear, he nodded in greeting. It was familiar; the unspoken communication. He did however motion at the goat, raising a brow at it. Bill flushed in embarrassment almost instantly. That wasn’t normal for Bill, but for just a minute Dot and Mabel saw it and the moment was so conventional and genuine that Dot almost wished he could pull the younger twin over and press their foreheads together in a laugh the way they did whenever the other was embarrassed or nervous.

Before he could contemplate the action further Dot straightened up once again listening to the person on the cellphone. “Oh… no, sir, I wasn’t aware. If it would make you feel better and allow me to go through with my plans then yes I will do as you ask.”

“What’s he talking about?” Bill whispered to Mabel. She shrugged.

“Actually, yes, I’ve already put through the paperwork and made the correct arrangements with Mrs. Fuller…Alright, yes, thank you sir. I’ll make sure to keep in contact. Good bye.” Dot took the phone off his ear and leaned back, taking another swig of the soda.

“MIKE?” Mabel asked, flitting over to sit on her charge’s lap.

“Yeah, just doing my usual report.” Dot responded.

“You just said you didn’t know who it was, Shooting Star.” Bill accused, poking the Guardian’s small form.

“No, I just didn’t know what they were talking about.”

Bill huffed, “So who’s Mike?”

“M-I-K-E” Mabel started, spelling out the letters. “Is Mr. I-Know-Everything, Dot’s probation officer.”

Bill laughed, a hearty honest sort of laugh. “Oh wow, I guess I’m not the only person who names stuff. So what were you guys talking about?”

“It’s not really any of your business, Bill.” Mabel defended, her small hands crossing. It was cute almost, her one eye lowering in mock anger.

Dot tapped a finger on the top of Mabel’s star form, “Actually, it sort of is. I was talking to Aunt Mo about everything a couple of days ago and she and Stan had a suggestion. We can’t find anything viable in any of Dipper’s books but there might be someone in Gravity Falls that can help us.”

“I already asked Aunt Mo, she said no one has ever experienced this.”

“You aren’t wrong. But there is someone, like a town hermit kind of guy, apparently.”

Bill shuddered, “Are you talking about McGucket? That guy’s weird, like, I’ll feed you a newborn for breakfast weird.”

“Eww, that wasn’t an image I wanted in my head. Besides you’re one to talk.” They shared a look that Mabel caught. The blonde chose to end it by sticking his tongue out and pulling his legs up onto the couch, rearranging Gompers on his lap.

“He’s just creepy. I mean he’s smart, he’s got grants and his own big house and just, well, that’s kind of it. He doesn’t really talk to anyone, especially the Guardian’s. I used to do deliveries from the supermarket to his place because he didn’t like coming out. When the kid before me got a Guardian McGucket told them they needed to change the delivery person. That left me, I was fifteen and Guardian-less, so they figured I’d probably never get one.”

“Surprise, surprise.” Mabel said.

“Yeah, guess that means I’m out of a summer job. Can’t say I’m upset though. He kept me there for an hour once, asking me questions about Stan and Aunt Mo and some of the other residents. He became even more of a recluse when this psychic kid moved to town.” Bill didn’t spook easily but something had clearly unnerved him.

“Aunt Mo seems to think he might know something, but if you don’t think it’s such a good idea, we won’t go.”

“We?” Bill’s head perked up from Gompers and looked over at Dot, eyes wide. “Dot, are you coming up for the summer?”

“Isn’t that obvious? I was talking to MIKE about it and as long as I have Mabel and keep in contact with him as well as one of his connections up there then it’s all clear.” Dot watched Bill’s eyes grow impossibly large, his amber hues almost bright enough to be called gold. Dot leaned back and placed both hands in front of him, “Just to be clear, this isn’t for you, Bill. This is for Mabel and Dipper. Maybe a bit for Aunt Mo.”

Bill threw his hands up in mock frustration, “We were having a moment, Dot, and you ruined it.”

Standing up, Dot pushed his brother over the side of the couch, snickering down at Bill who landed with his feet still on the couch and Gompers over his face. “There’s your moment, Bill.”

Bill tossed the goat at Dot who caught it and stepped over his brother. Mabel was ridding on Dot’s shoulder, her eye closed in delight. Dot waved the stuffed animal in Bill’s face making towards the room he’d been occupying.

“Hey, give it back.” Bill cried trying to right himself in haste. “You’ve got a stuffed pig in there, don’t think I didn’t notice it the other day.”

“And he get’s lonely. Doesn’t he, Mabel?”

“Definitely,” Mabel slipped past Dot into the room. “We can start a farm!”

 

* * *

 

Hours later Bill had managed to rescue Gompers and was folding the last of his shirts neatly into his suitcase. The year before, he’d haphazardly thrown them in and when he returned to his room in Gravity Falls Aunt Mo scolded him for at least a week about proper packing. “I know I taught you better then this,” she’d said at least a dozen times. No he was folding them in neat zig-zagging triangles, it was almost art. How could Aunt Mo possibly say anything about it?

“Bill there’s someone at the door for you?” Mabel’s voice drifted through the open door startling him. His brother and Mabel had left as soon as he’d managed to grab the stuffed animal, they must have been coming in the door when someone else was.

It wasn’t late but definitely well into the evening already. The fog was starting to settle in and street lamps were only moments from turning on. Bill spared a quick glance at his phone to see if there were any texts or calls he’d missed that would give him a clue to who was at the door. When he didn’t see anything he huffed and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his black jeans and toed his door open walking out to see Dot standing there in a pristine suit and blue tie, Mabel on his shoulder.

Beside them was a girl that Bill recognized instantly. He’d met her last year while he was collecting on a deal he’d made with some seniors. They’d worked together on a couple of other deals. She was a big time hacker, creating programs that trumped anything on the market. It was all pretty hush hush, hardly anyone knew she existed. That was the sign of a good hacker, to never even leave a suspicion that someone else had been there.

Of course no one would ever expect the small asian film student with bubblegum pink hair and large innocent eyes. Actually, the hair was new, she’d been a redhead last Bill saw of her.

“Well, well, if it isn’t GIF, crawling back like the slime ball she is.”

“Eww, are you seriously still calling me that?” she responded, stepping in further, her small height only accentuating the helpless demeanor she presented.

“Would it make it any less true if I didn’t?” Bill grinned at her and instantly her cute face scrunched up and she flipped him off. Bill laughed, noting the shoulder bag that no doubt held her laptop. She was here for business. “Do we need to talk privately?”

GIF, turned her head over towards Dot, who was still eyeing the two. “No, I know exactly who this is. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Dot Matrix. You’re style is impeccable, it’s nice to meet someone who isn’t looking for the flare behind the trade.”

Dot’s head tilted in confusion, Mabel giggled under her breath.

“I can see you’re confused,” Bill started, “And frankly so am I. How do you know him, GIF?”

With a roll of her eyes the girl flipped open the flap of her bag and pulled out her laptop perching it expertly on her arm as she typed. When she was done she turned it around. Bill was good at coding but he was nowhere at the level GIF was so the series of numbers and letters that passed before him were barely enough for him to comprehend. Dot on the other hand actually grinned.

“Your Tiff, I’ve heard of you. You're firewalls are the only challenge I ever get these days.” Dot excitedly said, his hands itching to grab the laptop.

“It’s Tiffany,” she replied.

“GIFfany,” Bill interjected.

“Don’t listen to him,” she swatted Bill’s arm, before turning her attention back to Dot. ”Thanks for that by the way, it really helps the business when you’re full proof security gets knocked down a peg. I’ve been throwing in free hours left and right to keep my customers happy.”

“I’d say I’m sorry but I’m not. A lot of the people you’re working with are aiming for more criminal activity then even I work with. Who needs a backdoor to a bank they already have several accounts with?”

Tiffany waved her hand in dismissal, “I don’t care about that. I care about getting paid enough to continue looking this cute for my sweetie. It’s just business.”

“So why are you here, GIF?” Bill asked, forcing her attention back to him.

“Right. So I heard you made a deal with a guy to get him a job at this gaming company, am I correct?”

“Yeah, he already paid me my price. You need a job? I highly doubt that.”

She shook her head. “No, I need your help taking out the guy on top. Same guy is in competition for a promotion and wants it ASAP but he won’t get it so long as the other guy is able to work.”

“You do know I’m not an assassin, right, GIF?”

“No but you’ve got something better. You’ve got info and ways to get it. I can make it so that this guy stays on the top of the roster, next in line to take the job, but I need you to find me something to expose this guy. I don’t know, maybe he slept with the head honchos wife or stole money.”

“Hmm, and what are you offering?” Bill leaned back on a leg, clearly comfortable with the negotiation.

Tiffany typed at the computer and turned it around, “I’d say that’s a fair enough sum.”

Mabel had drifted over to Bill and a low whistle escaped her non-existent lips. “This is almost as much as you make Dot. Just for some info?”

“Cipher’s info has never failed. He soaks up and stores information like a personal archive. And he always knows just how to use it.” Tiffany said.

“I’d say the sum is good, but money isn’t a problem for me. How about an open favor?”

“Not after last time.” Tiffany deadpanned. Instead she grinned and reached into her bag again and pulled out a large leather-bound book. “What if I throw this in?”

Dot had never seen Bill move so fast. The blonde literally pounced on the book and drew it away to look at it under the lamp light. He flipped through the pages, Mabel on his shoulder looking down at it with him. After a minute he picked his head up and held out his hand, “Let’s seal the deal, GIF.”

Tiffany took his hand and pumped it twice, “Could you stop calling me that?”

“That deal would be a bit to pricey for you, I think.”

Tiffany left with a short nod to both Mabel and Dot promising to wire Bill the money as soon as he came through, closing the door behind her. When she was definitely gone Dot turned to his brother and quirked a brow. “So what’s the book?”

Bill handed him the book, “This, Dot, is a first edition and very rare copy of To Trust a Demon. Only one of the worlds most renowned studies on demons and their dimension. They took these books off the shelves years ago when something went down with one of the authors and copies have been floating around on the black-market but I always get there too late.”

“I’m always curious as to why people study us, it’s not like we won’t answer questions if we’re asked.” Mabel said, making a shrugging motion.

Bill fixed her with a look, “Why do you look the way you do when you become human, Shooting Star? Why can only some Guardians do it? Why do you have to listen to some Guardians but both others? What is your hierarchy like?”

Mabel twiddled her fingers, looking downcast, “I don’t know.”

“I know there may be no reason so know all this stuff. People are content just letting things be as they are, but I don’t know. I’ve always had this curiosity and it needed to be satiated.”

The room was quiet suddenly. Mabel, lingering in the air, a look in her eye that said she was trying to think very hard about something. Bill looking at the book that was still in Dot’s hands and Dot, well he watched the two. Finally he cleared his throat and handed the book back to Bill.

“So, GIF, what’s that all about?”

Mabel caught on and made a nodding motion, “Yeah, why do you call her that?”

Bill smirked, eyeing them both and passing a wicked smile. “Wouldn’t you like to know. Let’s finish packing up, I’m gonna fulfill my end of the deal and then see what food needs to be thrown out. I guess we’ll all be hitting the road tomorrow morning.” With that the blonde turned away and walked back into his room.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I actually decided to open my own deviant art account because I actually am an artist and I have a lot of fan art and original things. I've always held off on opening a DA since I didn't think I'd use it but I figure now would be a nice time to try and start :)  
> The first post is just a sketch of my Bill, Dot, Dipper, and Mabel.
> 
> http://mini-chisca.deviantart.com/art/The-Twins-627256394


	12. Stand My Ground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally the twins are making their way to Gravity Falls!  
> Mabel is starting to feel the strain and Bill might be starting to miss his Guardian more then he's been letting on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If chapters take a little longer from now on I promise it's not because I forgot about the story but because I started writing this story in my head and on notes in my phone and random notebooks a month before I posted the first chapter. Yes, I already know the middle and end of this entire story but I only have skeletons for chapters and as I'm adding the meat to them I want it to be just right.  
> I'm hoping to keep it at once a week but if you're lucky sometimes it'll be twice a week.

Mabel sat with her small black legs dangling over the edge of the headrest watching over the twins. They hadn’t spoken to the other in about an hour. At 4 a.m. they’d woken up and piled into Pyronica’s car. It was actually Xanthar’s car but as she roomed with him she had free reign to it. Mabel hadn’t seen her since the day Dot scared her off but the pigtailed girl seemed to keep her bearings pretty well. She’d dropped them off at the airport and Bill led the way to check in.

That hadn’t been the problem of course. The twins had still managed to be civil. Even when the plane was delayed by about an hour they were fine. What was not fine was that Dot had ordered the very last croissant sandwich in the airport bakery. When Bill had allegedly claimed the last sandwich when they’d first got in line. Neither Dot nor Mabel had heard him. They’d bickered about it until Dot halved the sandwich between them.

They were courteous on the plane, charming the attendant into giving them both extra peanuts. Somehow the two had even wiggled their way into getting their luggage delivered directly to their hands. Mabel shouldn’t have been surprised. Dot alone had always been very good with people but combined with Bill’s charm the twins were a force to be reckoned with. After that they caught a shuttle and Bill talked about how they might have to share a room for the first few days since Aunt Mo was probably going to make him clean out the only other room in the small home she had. Dot shrugged at it and said it was fine, but that Mabel snored.

It was when they’d gotten off the shuttle and hopped aboard the bus that would take them to Gravity Falls that the dispute had started. Bill had mentioned that he was hungry and Dot promptly told him that he should have eaten more at the airport.

“I would have eaten more if someone hadn’t taken my whole sandwich.”

“Stop being such a baby, Bill. We halved it. We both basically ate the same amount and you don’t see me whining.”

It had escalated from there and now Mabel was watching the two on separate sides of the bus. Dot had managed to find a comfortable enough position for him to set up his laptop and was currently typing a bunch of numbers and letters that Mabel was never very good at following. His headphones were in and he was listening to what he’d described to her as electronic or techno or whatever. Bill on the other hand had curled his legs up and placed the large book he’d received from Tiffany there, keeping the window behind him for light. Unlike Dot, he didn’t have earphones in but that was probably because it would have bothered the structure of pens and highlighters behind his ears. Every now and then he would scratch something into a notebook and Mabel felt herself ache for her brother.

Speaking of Dipper, Mabel floated down from her perch and landed next to Bill’s booted feet where his bag was, as well as an open front zipper pocket. Dipper had been just small enough to fit in the pocket, Bill had even asked Mabel if it were fine if he stayed in the pocket. She said as long as the zipper remained open it was fine, she’d even rode next to her comatose brother while they were on the plane. She couldn’t bring any of the books she hadn’t gone through with her and Berkeley was too far away for her to just jump to and from but she had hope that Gravity Falls would hold some kind of secret to helping her brother. She had just withdrawn from the pocket when Bill’s gaze caught her.

“The bus is empty.” Bill stated, tapping his ben mindlessly against the notebook.

Mabel floated upward to be more at eyelevel, “Yes, thank you, Captain Obvious. I can clearly see that the bus is empty.”

“I’m just saying that you can transform. I mean, I understood that for space and time’s sake when were in heavily crowded areas but now it’s just us.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

Bill shook his head. “No, you like being like us. In fact, it looks like you prefer it. Now that I think about it, for the last week or so you’ve barely transformed at all.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Dot noticed the two conversing and paused his song. “Is everything okay?”

Bill looked over his book at the other, “Oh, are you talking to me now?”

“Boys,” Mabel huffed, rolling her eye. Despite the moving bus Mabel popped into a more corporeal existence. Her small twelve year old self holding an arm up to each brother. “Can’t you both pretend that you’re about to be nineteen in a few days instead of five?”  
The bus kept up it’s bumpy ride as silence spread throughout the entire space. The scenery outside had changed to trees, trees, and more trees over the last twenty minutes or so and the shadows kept passing over them at a dizzying pace. It was warm, especially after having acclimated to the cooler San Francisco air, and it only seemed to make the moment more claustrophobic. The twins were staring at one another in sudden realization.

Dot’s large indigo eyes couldn’t tear themselves away from his brother. His blonde hair, still unruly and uncut. His tanner skin and toned arms. He certainly looked like, at a soon to be nineteen, that he belonged in this scenery. They were about to share a birthday together. Not a birthday visit or a passing birthday card that will end up in the trash. They would wake up under the same roof and pass each other, maybe even mutter happy birthday, still in their pajamas. Dot couldn’t breath.

“Oh…oops.” he heard Mabel start but he couldn’t concentrate anymore on it, she was getting a little fuzzier. He knew what this was, his first one had been a surprise and Mabel hadn’t woken up yet but after so long he’d been able to to keep them under control; especially with Mabel’s help. Right now he couldn’t think about that though, he could only feel his chest tighten and watch the edges of his vision darken. There was only the sound of waves crashing in his ear and a faint humming of happy birthday. Who the hell would be humming happy birthday? He tried to calm himself, to ground himself and tell himself that everything was fine but it was really hard to concentrate when the waves were getting louder. The song ringing in his ears.

“Can you feel my hands?” Dot was confused. “I’m going to take your hand now and I need you to nod if you can feel my hands.” That was a stupid question, of course he could feel them. He nodded.

“Good, now I need you to breath and listen. It’s going to sound silly but you’re fine. You’re on a bus, it’s about one in the afternoon, and Mabel is right here. You’re safe.” He kept hearing the voice speak, the tone was so soft. The voice was still talking and every time it felt less real he would squeeze the hands in his and they would squeeze back and repeat everything all over again.

Dot knew when his anxiety hit that he could rely on Mabel to calm him down. When he’d gotten the phone call from Bill those weeks ago he had known that he was going to end up like a ball on the ground. Mabel had done what she was good at and pulled him out of it. But now, as he was coming out of it, he realized that the familiar warmth that said Mabel was there pulling him from the darkness was gone. When he looked at his hands they weren’t grasped in her small pale hands but a pair of rougher tanned ones.

The sound of the bus came back to him, the wheels against asphalt, the wind through the trees, and even the soft sound of the radio that the bus driver was using to fill the silence. When he looked up he could see Mabel, she was a star again, her eye welling up with colorful tears. Bill was close, lips set in a determined scowl, eyes unblinking. He was kneeling in what had to be a horribly uncomfortable position on the seat.

“You okay?” Bill asked.

“Better, thanks.” Dot muttered, pulling his hands away from Bill’s and grasping at the laptop that had still managed to stay in his cross-legged lap.

“Geez,” Bill started, stepping back and plopping back into his original seat mindful of the bag where Dipper was. “You never thought to tell me you get panic attacks? I freaked out for a second there.”

“Ma-Mabel usually takes care of me. Didn’t think it would get that far.” Dot watched the Guardian as she sat down on the seat beside him, still wiping away small tears that disappeared as they poured. “Why didn’t she…how did you know what to do?”

Bill was leaning against the window, feet propped on the seat and book back on his lap, “Just because I’m not very good at taking care of myself doesn’t mean that I don’t know how. I never mentioned it to you but I’m a psych major, you pick up a couple of things as a result. Sure most of it’s about the anatomy of the brain but every now and then something useful comes up.”

Dot wasn’t even going to touch up on the irony of Bill’s major; he’d let it slide for now. Though he did wonder what kind of psych major could properly work in the field while barely being able to fight their own demons; perhaps now wasn’t a good time to dwell on it though. Especially when Mabel was still looking at him like he’d been on the verge of death.

“Mabel?” he questioned. She was uncharacteristically quiet.

She flew up and placed herself firmly against his chest, “I’m so sorry, Dot. I should have mentioned it sooner but I really thought I could handle it. I’m a Guardian Demon, I’m a really strong one too. I swear I will never, ever do this again. You needed me and I couldn’t help at all.”

Dot placed his hand over the cat sized form of his Guardian and looked up at Bill again for answers. The blonde sighed and lifted the charm around his neck for him to see.

“Shooting Star has been spreading herself too thin. These charms are meant for each of our respectable Guardians to charge, but any Guardian can use it really. She’s been using all her energy to keep both you and me safe.” Bill tapped the book on his lap now and continued. “When she first gave it to me I simply thought it had it’s own power, that it would eventually wear off like most magic charms but she uses it like a conduit. It’s in the book.”

Dot looked down at Mabel. “Mabel, is that why you haven’t been transforming?”

“Guardians like Shooting Star are a rarity.” Bill supplemented. “It takes a large amount of energy for them to transform and they draw most of it from the bond they share with their charge. She obviously was using so much of it that she burned herself out with that last transformation a second ago.”

Dot didn’t know if he was supposed to feel guilty, worried, angry, or scared for Mabel. He settled with relief. He knew he shared an emotional bond with Mabel, if he sprung too much at once he’d certainly overwhelm her. Relief was a happy medium.

“What do we do?” Dot didn’t know who to look at but he felt that the answer was obvious.

“We wake up, Pine Tree. If not for his sake, then for his sister’s.” Bill said, his voice so quiet it could have been mistaken as a shush of the wheels. He was eyeing the bag, his whole body tense. Dot was more sure then anything that Bill was worried.

 

* * *

 

“Grunkle Stan!”

Bill stepped off the bus, holding the strap of the backpack where Dipper was tightly. Behind him he could feel Dot counting to himself, grounding himself. Bill had always assumed Aunt Mo saw Dot without Bill and he was starting to suspect that wasn’t true. Maybe they shared phone calls, but maybe Dot hadn’t seen Aunt Mo or Stan in about as much time as he hadn’t seen Bill. That would explain the sudden stiffness in his brother’s movements.

Mabel had shot out of the bus, transforming by sheer force of will, or at least that’s what the twins assumed. Her small arms wrapped around Stan’s older form. He laughed, swinging around the small girl, holding her tightly. Aunt Mo had said before that Stanley was the twin Demon’s mentor so the familiarity should have been expected. She was talking a mile a minute about how much she missed him and what not seeing him had been like. After all, Aunt Mo had stopped visiting Dot when they switched his facilities.

“Nephews.” Speaking of Aunt Mo. Bill and Dot turned their attention to the woman walking towards them. She was Mother’s younger sister by a year but had never looked a thing like her. In her fifties Aunt Mo went the natural route and let her short cap of wavy hair turn snow white and silver. She stood at her full height, just barely shorter then the boys, arms crossed.

“Hey, Aunt Mo,” Bill walked forward but aside from passing the woman a genuine smile showed no other form of affection. Dot wasn’t sure if he was expected to react the same way or actually put his suitcase down and hold out his arms. The decision was made for him when Aunt Mo reached out and gripped his shoulder, pushing down and then reaching out for his ear.

“Ow! ow! Hey!” Dot didn’t know what to do, he didn’t want to hit her. He could hear Mabel in the background and thought about calling out for her help.

“Well if it isn’t my no good nephew.” Aunt Mo said. Her narrowed eyes taking in the boy now at her eye level. “Still making stupid bets, boy? I don’t know why you won’t just accept my help instead of risking your safety.”

“I don’t need it, Aunt Mo, I can take care of my- Ow! Ow!” She pulled tighter despite Dot’s protests. He could hear Bill snickering beside him and then suddenly there were twin ‘Ow’-s as Aunt Mo grabbed Bill’s ear and pulled them behind her.

“Honestly, the two of you are testing my patience. I’m too old for this. There’s a reason I never had kids. How could I when I’m busy with the two of you?” She said, making her way down the road not letting up on either of the two. Bill was familiar with this but one glance Dot’s way and he could see that he was just a bit overwhelmed. A glance in the other direction brought forth the squared shoulders of Stanley’s corporeal form, carrying Mabel the way you would any child. They looked so happy.

Aunt Mo had finally led them to the front of the shack, Bill’s word, she called home. It was a smallish quaint place. Sloping roof and small odds and ends put together that he and Stan had worked on growing up so that the roof wouldn’t cave in on them or so that they could avoid calling plumbers and electricians. Bill spent hours pouring over books and safety manuals on how to use certain tools and fix things like a broken freezer.

When their ears were free and Aunt Mo had finished ranting both twins straightened up and rubbed their reddened skin respectively. Dot stared at the house in front of him. This was where his brother had been all these years ago.

“Welcome home, Dot.” Aunt Mo rested her hand on the boy’s shoulder, a delicate touch. “You too Mabel.”

Dot had always liked Aunt Mo, but she had also seemed distant and strict. Even her Guardian never seemed to speak more than a word to him but he was always ready to smile and laugh with Mabel which made him less scary. He remembered, the day Aunt Mo said she wouldn’t be visiting anymore, asking Mabel if she hated him. Mabel had reassured him a good hundred times while he cried that it wasn’t true. He didn’t know what to say to her now, what to do. So he looked down at the woman, the younger sister to the woman who he’d been accused of killing, and smiled.

How did Bill do this everyday?

“So did Fez manage to clean out the room while we were gone?” Bill asked, his amber gaze actually challenging the bulkier Guardian and snapping Dot’s attention away from their Aunt. It looked natural. Stanley had the look of a man who could snap someone like Bill in half but Bill didn’t stand down.

“You watch it, kid. If I gotta here one more smart remark about servitude I’m chucking the rest of your collection into the Bottomless Pit.” The Guardian responded placing Mabel back on the ground. Immediately the girl skipped over to Dot’s side placing her hand in Dot’s.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Watch me.”

Aunt Mo, swatted Bill’s arm and glared at him. “Stop it you two. It’s been five minutes. But speaking of the room Bill. You’ll be taking Dot’s things to the spare room and while you’re in there you can finish cleaning it out and making it livable for your brother.”

“What? By myself?” Bill complained hefting his bag on his shoulder again and looking down at his aunt.

“Of course by yourself. Do you think Dot knows where everything goes? What to throw away and what not to? Do you think he knows where the sheets are for the bed?” Aunt Mo matched him, her arms crossed. For a moment Dot thought Bill got smaller, it was like looking at a scolded child.

“No,” he conceded.

“I didn’t think so,” the woman chided. “While you’re doing that I am going to take Dot and Mabel into town. I need a few things and I’m sure they’d like to see the layout of the place. We’ll bring back something to eat but you can snack on whatever you’d like while we’re gone. I bought your favorite chips and their in the same place as usual.”

“Wait, I could help,” Dot said all of a sudden. His voice reached near panic but Mabel’s hand in his kept him steady. “I mean, I don’t need to see the town or anything. I’m not really here for all that anyway. I can help him.”

Aunt Mo fixed Dot with a look that made his skin crawl but still he didn’t budge. When her gaze turned to Bill he watched him recoil slightly and take a step back. Dot had never taken Bill as one to be pushed around. It wasn’t the way they were raised to back down from a fight; perhaps that was where their parents went wrong. But Bill looked ready to turn tail underneath Aunt Mo’s stoic gaze.

“Where’s your Guardian, Bill?” she asked to Dot’s surprise.

Like a trained puppy, Bill flipped his backpack in front of him and carefully reached in to the front pocket. Dipper, still as quiet as before, was small in Bill’s hand. Aunt Mo stepped up, hand on her chin. She took the Guardian from Bill and turned to Stanley who reached out to place a large hand just over Dipper. A faint white glow emitted from his hand and wrapped itself around Dipper.

“What are you doing?” Dot asked before he could stop himself.

“Stanley is a Demon of Deceit. The first thing he’s doing is seeing if the Guardian is faking it. As good as he is at pulling the wool over people’s eyes it is nearly impossible to do the same to him.” Aunt Mo explained, she looked at neither nephew as she did so her eyes trained on Dipper.

“I think I’d know if he was faking, Grunkle Stan.” Mabel pouted.

“Not the way that I can, kid. But he ain’t faking it anyway.” Stanley pulled his hand away and muttered, “Aw, kid, you look like you went through the ringer.”

“So, no idea?” Aunt Mo asked.

“Nah, I thought I could. He’s just too weird for me.”

Aunt Mo turned back around and put Dipper back in Bill’s hand carefully. “Stan was looking to see if there was a residual fallacy, it might have helped determined how long he’d be asleep. But if Dipper didn’t know either then it wouldn’t work.”

In a way that had unintentionally put Bill at ease. If Dipper didn’t know anything then maybe his Guardian hadn’t purposefully abandoned him; again. He looked down at his small Guardian and sucked in a breath. He wanted to cry but he didn’t know why. Before the first tear could form in his eye he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to meet his brother’s gaze. He shook off the feeling and placed Dipper back in the pocket.

“I guess I’ll go clean the room out then.” Bill finally muttered taking Dot’s suitcase and his own in an almost expert fashion.

Dot made to follow or protest but Aunt Mo stood in front of him. “Let him. Bill is safe here and he might need a moment to figure out what he’d like to do next. Gravity Falls is a hotspot for Guardians, he grew up around them. When Mabel woke you told me that she said the bond you two shared was weak. Well think of it the same way for Bill and Dipper. Except their nerve was already forming and then suddenly skinned, it’s exposed. It needs a lot more reconstruction.”

“How do you know?” Dot asked. It sounded too simple. Mabel had also said something similar when it first happened. He didn’t understand what that meant then and even still he was trying to grasp what it meant.

“I don’t, not really at least. But when you’ve been with your Guardian as long as I have and seen so many people react with them on a daily basis you start to see how people’s bonds work. Stan and I can’t lie to each other, our bond is based on the truth. You and Mabel have to be emotionally available to the other. Bill and Dipper, well, I’m not sure yet but Bill will have to figure it out.”

“I want to help too, Dot. But maybe we should listen and let Bill settle down.” Dot looked down at the wide hazel green of Mabel’s eyes. He forgot to imagine how this must all be for Mabel. He could talk to his brother, push and prod if he pleased, but Mabel was basically talking at a wall. He nodded and accepted that this was the better idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Has anyone else noticed I use song titles as chapter titles? It's a thing I've been doing ever since I first started writing Fanfiction YEARS ago. But I never name anything without a reason; it's like my signature. Just thought I'd see if anyone noticed.


	13. Slow Me Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for all the amazing comments and messages that are coming through. I would just like to say that because I don't think I've said thank you in a while. Every time I tell myself that I don't feel like writing or maybe I should just delete it all and give up I go and I reread your comments and I remind myself that I'm not the only one having fun with this story. Thanks everyone! Seriously!  
> It's not over yet, but I still wanted to make my appreciation known.

Dot was overwhelmed the moment Stan parked the car; apparently Aunt Mo hated driving if she really didn’t have to. He hadn’t even stepped out from the backseat and he wanted to go back to the secluded home. Beside him Mabel had her face pressed against the window looking out at the people and their Guardians. Never had they been around so many Guardians at the same time. Bill hadn’t been kidding.

He took a shaky breath and put a hand on Mabel’s pink sweater clad shoulder. “Mabel, if you’re still tired…” he trailed off.

Turning to face him the smile on her face didn’t read as tired. “I’m fine, Dot. This town is protected by so many Guardians that it’s easier for me to let up and use most of my energy to hold this form.”

Sucking in a large breath Dot stepped out of the car and wished immediately that he hadn’t chosen to wear something different. His usual button down shirts and slacks were not meant for the coming humid summer air of Oregon. It was like walking into the bathroom after someone took a steamy shower, everything just sticks. Mabel bounced beside him in her usual shooting star sweater and skirt completely unbothered by the weather. She can feel the warmth and the cold and the rain but according to her it’s not as bothersome.

“How do you wanna do this Pi?”

“I was thinking we could just wait. We’ll walk around a bit and show him the town before we pick up what we need.”

“You want to walk?”

“Well unless you’re offering to carry me.”

“Nope, ‘m to old to carry your wrinkly-”

THWACK! Dot turned his attention from Mabel to Aunt Mo and Stan. The older Guardian was rubbing the back of his head and looking at his charge with an almost annoyed expression. It was almost comical and Mabel did in fact give a small laugh. All these Guardians would have their own way of interacting with each other and their humans. Each one different from what he was used to with Mabel.

“Show respect for a lady.” Aunt Mo gritted out.

“Sure, next time I see one.”

“Try a mirror.”

This time Dot joined Mabel, laughing at the antics of the those the claimed as family.

It should have only taken them an hour to walk around the area of the town but Aunt Mo stopped to talk often. Most of the info was about the people who worked in a certain store or those that she was on more friendly terms then others. When they’d come to one place at the edge of town Aunt Mo knocked on the door and waited. It wasn’t a large building, small and painted in a stormy blue with an odd star symbol on the front of the door. In silvery calligraphy was the word Psychic.

“What do you need here?” Dot asked as he peered in passed the gossamer drapery with Mabel.

“Just something for the shop.” she muttered.

Aunt Mo, from what he remembered, ran what people called the Mystery Shop. Gravity Falls’ abundance of Guardians wasn’t the only anomaly about the town. Though it was little known it still sucked in a decent amount of people off their routes throughout the year. It had apparently been Stan’s idea when he and Aunt Mo first settled in the town. Aunt Mo had only briefly mentioned it when he was younger and Bill avoided it simply because he’d fought tooth and nail not to work at the shop and it’s small guided tours through the forest. So it shouldn’t be such a surprise that Aunt Mo might need something from a local psychic.

“Looks like they aren’t here,” Stanley’s gruff voice broke Dot’s train of thought.

“They have a lot of cool stuff in there.” Mabel said, her hands still cupped around her eyes as she looked through the window. “Can I come back with you?”

“Sure, kiddo. Pi’s too lazy to make this trip again anyway. She’ll just make me do it and I could use the company.”

“You’d be alright with that right, Dot?” Mabel looked up, sensing the unease in her charge’s demeanor.

“I could come with you, I wouldn’t mind walking back into town later. It’s kind of nice.” It wasn’t a lie. Dot sort of liked walking around with Mabel and not getting odd looks when she pulled something out of a pocket dimension or played with a rainbow ball of energy in her hands. Sure, Aunt Mo had said that there weren’t many other Guardian Demons that possessed the same kind of ability as Mabel and Stanley but they were more then aware that it was possible.

“Well you can certainly plan that later. I suppose we can go grab some food and head back home.” Aunt Mo led the way, her tone a little aggravated. He suspected it was with the town psychic. “The Diner is a good place to end the grand tour anyway, there are probably some people in there worth meeting.”

They walked back in the direction of the car towards the larger building that they’d parked beside. The atmosphere of the eatery was typical, they obviously didn’t need to worry about atmosphere or competition as one of only three sit downs in the town. He followed Aunt Mo and Stanley’s example and slid into a booth beside Mabel. The girl had promptly began sifting through the menu, her excitement palpable.

Aunt Mo hadn’t been wrong, a few people had come up to the table to say hello. Most of them smiled, offering hands to shake and complimenting Mabel at doing such a good job. After all, it was still an impressive feat to reach the sort of level that Mabel had. Most Guardians that stopped by flitted over to talk to Mabel, talking to her about town and the sorts of fun things that happened throughout the year. She seemed especially excited for something called Summerween; Dot was really hoping that was just a joke.

“Oh hey, Mo, what brings you out of your cave?” Stanley snickered at the words from an approaching woman and Aunt Mo sighed, leaning her head on her arm as if she were putting up with a rather boring movie rerun; the small smile on her lips said otherwise.

“I’m just showing my nephew and his Guardian around. Wendy, Robbie, this is Dot and Mabel.” Aunt Mo lazily gestured with the hand she wasn’t leaning on and Dot followed it to the redhead standing at the end of the table.

The woman was probably a year or two older then him, tall and slender but he could tell by the rolled up sleeve of her arms that she was far from delicate. Her long red hair was pulled back in a hastily done braid and she seemed to ooze a sense of confidence that was akin to Bill’s. Although her confidence seemed born of something different. Where Bill always seemed to be overcompensating, Wendy’s was natural; she didn’t try. Beside her was a gangly man who Dot immediately knew as a Guardian.

Robbie looked human enough. Short choppy black hair and pale skin weren’t any particular giveaways. His dress was ordinary, a tattered black sweater with a heart symbol of sorts and a pair of jeans. It was his eyes that gave it away. Like Mabel and Stan they were human, colored ordinarily, but always alert. They would observe Wendy for a moment and then brush over the diner before coming back. Guardians were there to protect and that is what Robbie was doing; even if he didn’t look like he could win in a fight with a puppy.

“Red!” Dot jumped at Mabel’s sudden outburst. The small Guardian had hopped on her knees and pointed a finger at the woman who was looking at Mabel incredulously.

“Uh… yeah, it’s all natural too.” Wendy said, a smile on her lips.

“No, I mean Bill mentioned a girl with red hair who he called Red.” Mabel giggled. “You were friends, right?”

“Psh, yeah right. I think Bill tried to run from her at least a dozen times. He’s a weird kid.” Robbie was eyeing Dot with interest, his body leaning forward. “Guess that makes you his brother, huh?”

Dot nodded slowly. He never gave it much thought before but what did this town know about him? Did Aunt Mo say anything? Did Bill tell stories about his scary twin brother locked in a facility some hundred miles away? Did they even know Bill was a twin? Mabel’s hand was on his in a second and he felt the cool relief of her presence. Her strength returned faster then he’d expected.

“So why’d you chase him Wendy?” Mabel diverted. “Did you like like him?”

Wendy laughed and Robbie snorted beside her. Dot would have thought it rude or condescending if it weren’t for the fond smile on Aunt Mo’s face. The more he looked at Wendy, her nose scrunched up and hands on her stomach as she took a breath, the more he saw that it was actually a laugh from a common misconception.

“Nah, it wasn’t like that. He was different from other people here. Maybe it’s because he’s from California but he was braver then most kids, he took to the forest like he was born to be in it. Most of us stay away, lots of weird stories at bedtime told us it was the smart choice. Bill though, he didn’t know those stories and even when he heard them he’d just shrug it off.”

“So you were like best friends?” Dot inquired. One glance at Aunt Mo and it felt like a silly question.

Wendy chuckled. “Bill didn’t, doesn’t, have friends. At least none that he’d admit to. I was like an annoying older sister, my kid brother is about the same age so I know how to play the role pretty well.”

“Wendy’s too nice for her own good, if she listened at all my job would be a way easier.” Robbie’s arms crossed and he nearly pouted. Wendy slung an arm around his shoulders and pressed his cheek to hers, laughing.

“He’s just a grouch because Bill tricked him into giving up half his manga collection.” Wendy reached out and took Dot’s hand in hers. It could have been taken as forceful but Wendy’s nature was so calming and her smile so genuine. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dot. Bill must be so happy you’re here. I have to go but if you see me around don’t hesitate to say hi. You too, Mabel.”

 

* * *

 

It had been a little over an hour since Aunt Mo had taken Dot and the Guardians out to town. Bill was stacking the last of the boxes into one of the more unused closets. When he finished there he’d have to take care of the trash quick. There were things he found that he knew if Aunt Mo saw them she’d insist on keeping them when they didn’t need it. She’d always been a bit lazy about throwing things out. Now he could finally get rid of that collection of insect snow globes, they were creepy.

He’d dropped his stuff off in his room and brought Dipper downstairs with him, placing him on the freshly remade bed. Cleaning out the room wasn’t hard, it did look as if Stanley had started some of the work. He’d found a couple of random bobby pins and pulled his hair back from his face finding a rhythm pretty easily. Being back in this house was like a breath of fresh air in comparison to the city. He could walk through blindfolded and he could do the same in the forest. Looking out the window he could already feel the itch tighten up his hiking boots.

Tying up the last bag of trash, a knock came from the front door and Bill was snapped from his thoughts. It wasn’t uncommon for Aunt Mo to forget her key but normally Stanley just slipped in through a window and let her in. It could be the mail man. It could even be the pizza guy, it would be just like Aunt Mo to send him a pizza while he was working so she wouldn’t have to carry food from town to the house. With a brief peek at Dipper Bill got up from his kneeling position and made his way to the front door.

The second knock was a tad more insistent. “I’m coming,” he cried out.

Pulling the door open Bill raised a finger prepared to tell the pizza man to chill. He paused when he noticed that it most certainly wasn’t food.

Standing in the door way was a girl, well perhaps a woman. Bill knew she was about Wendy’s age, which made her at least twenty. Unlike the spunky tomboy of a redhead Bill had spent so much time with as a kid this woman was the polar opposite. Platinum blonde hair fell in ringlets around her slender shoulders and pale blue eyes took in Bill with a look of annoyed condescension. Her hands were clasped delicately in front of her barely crumpling the grey blue gown she wore. She was certainly a delicate looking young lady.

“Cipher,” she started, a slight twang of an accent. “I see you’re back for the summer.”

“Kryptos, I see you haven’t put your circus act on the road yet.” Bill leaned against the door frame, holding the woman’s gaze. She was very slightly shorter then him but she didn’t back down. “What can I do you for?”

“I’m looking for your aunt, is she around?” Kryptos leaned slightly to the side, looking past Bill at the disheveled home.

“If she were do you think I’d be the one answering the door?” The air was warm outside but Bill was certain there was a chill emitting from the woman. He looked down at the pendant clasped loosely around her neck and chuckled. “You’re quiet today Pentagram.”

Kryptos placed a hand over the star shape at her throat and narrowed her eyes. “Leave him alone, you’re talking to me.”

“Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around, Kryptos? Shouldn’t he be protecting lil’ ol’ you instead of the other way around? Or maybe,” Bill stepped closer bringing a hand up to just barely ghost over her cheek. “Maybe you don’t want to be protected? Are you here to profess your undying love for me instead?”

Narrowing ice blue eyes Kryptos swatted Bill’s hand away and shoved him. He was pleasantly surprised to find there was some real force behind her slender arms. Bill paused however, when he saw her eyes widen and the hand that she should have withdrawn remained in front of her, fingers outstretched in his direction. Her lips moved in a whisper, his eyebrow quirked.

“What’s that?”

She spoke up, “You have a Guardian.”

Bill didn’t say anything.

“Where are they? He?” Kryptos leaned in this time, bending at the waist as her eyes held his. “Something is different about you, Bill Cipher.”

“I am told I get handsomer by the minute.” Bill’s retort was shaky at best. Kryptos had show up in Gravity Falls when he was fifteen. She’d bought the little shop at the edge of town and turned it into her psychic playground. People found it fascinating and she was a sweet southern girl with a proper enough etiquette to rival even the Northwests. She’d been young, of course, with no adults in tow save for a single pentagram shaped Guardian named Gideon with a quirky accent himself. Together the two were charming and theatrical. The town welcomed them warmly as their newest tourist attraction.

He’d been unnerved by Gideon the first time Aunt Mo had taken him to the shop to formerly introduce themselves. The girl had been their a month and when she introduced herself Bill had quite honestly misheard her and Kryptos stuck. The Guardian had flitted around charming the pants off Aunt Mo but Bill and Stanley remained firm in their dislike. Kryptos seemed genuinely invested in being friends with Bill initially but overtime, for one reason or another, they’d become enemies. Friendly when necessary but always ready to spare each other a passing glare when no one else was looking. Now at nearly nineteen Bill could barely stand being around her and especially her mouthy kiss up of a Guardian.

“Don’t flatter yourself and don’t divert.” she deadpanned. “You ain’t tryna hide ’em from me are you Bill?” Bill watched her side step, trying to further her view of the home.

“It isn’t any of your business, Kryptos, so how about you just leave. I’ll tell Aunt Mo you stopped by and whatever it was you wanted to talk to her about can just wait. She’ll give you a call or you can give her a call, you know, whatever is convenient.” Bill placed one hand on her shoulder and turned her around, away from the house, pushing her along. The click of her low heeled boots sounded against the wood of the front porch for only a second before she pushed back. She probably would have smacked Bill away again if he hadn’t jumped back like he’d been electrocuted shaking his hands.

“Don’t you put yer filthy hands on her, Cipher.” The star had popped off her dress and flew at Bill. After composing himself Bill looked the multicolored star in the eye and smiled in a rather friendly manner.

“Ah, there you are, Pentagram. Took you long enough, I could have taken advantage of the sweet Kryptos and you’d never know.” Bill laughed.

“Why I otta…”

“Leave him, Gideon.” Kryptos said, her voice soft as she brushed through one of the ringlets of her hair. “He’s broken enough. You’ve gained something you’ve always wanted, haven’t you? It looks like you have some decisions to make.”

Bill gritted his teeth but stepped back into the foyer of the house. “I don’t have time for your mumbo jumbo. I’ve gotta finish cleaning up before my brother gets here.”

“The imaginary one?” Gideon cackled, sliding over to sit on a barrette Kryptos had in her hair. Bill flushed but didn’t deign them with an answer.

“I don’t see a car, Kryptos, still too afraid to drive?” Bill shot back. Gideon’s colors flashed but Kryptos narrowed her blue eyes and fluttered her lashes. Tossing her hair over a shoulder she turned away and took the next few steps off the porch before turning to look over her shoulder.

“Don't talk nonsense, Cipher. I simply enjoy my walks through the forest. After all, you aren’t the only one who knows the secrets that lie within?” Just as she was about to turn around the sound of wheels against dirt approached the house. The doors of the red car opening and closing caught Bill’s attention and he looked up in time to see Mabel bounce out and run around to the trunk to help Stanley grab a couple of bags. Dot on the other hand was looking at the blonde woman, his indigo hues wide as he took a few steps forward. Bill watched as Kryptos turned to look at the approaching boy and the smile that broke out across Dot’s face. Suddenly the two were embracing and Bill watched with abject horror as tears gathered at the corner of Dot’s eyes.

“Krystin! I’ve missed you!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions? Comments? Come on guys, let's hear them :D I love to talk to you all!


	14. Irreversible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as you guys know I use song titles as titles to my chapters. Some of you have apparently gone back and listened to the songs while reading the chapter, that's freaking awesome! I don't pick a title until after the chapter is written and I put a lot of effort into finding just the right one (100% of them come off my iPod). I also leave it up to you guys to figure out who the song is in reference to which I think is another fun way to keep your guy's brains working. Most of you hit the nail on the head though so it isn't too hard :]
> 
> The song for this one isn't one you can find on iTunes, it's by a band called Valora and it's only on Youtube; their sort of underground rock but if you have heard of them then it's probably on the first Tim Burton Alice and Wonderland soundtrack for the song Extreme.

It was well passed bedtime. The moon hung high in the sky half eaten by the darkness but shinning no less. The lights in the house were off save for a small exposed lightbulb in a far room. It sat there, hardly a flicker in its steady illumination, keeping the path down the hallway lit. There was one window that the moon shone through, it’s silver light competing with the soft yellow glow. The sound of tip toes and shushed giggles floated down the hall through an open door where only the moon peaked in.

The room was rather big with two large windows and two four poster beds. There was a small table with scattered papers and crayons, a stuffed deer sitting on one of the chairs. The baby pink walls were covered in a scattering of drawings and notes, several bookshelves disheveled with worn books and figurines. The culprits of the room were bundled underneath a light blanket hands moving animatedly in a game of rock, paper, scissors.

“Do you think Momma is gonna keep her promise?” One voice asked, tone so small and soft it could have been a hush of the wind.

“No,” was the simple reply. Though soft it was sharp, cutting through the other because it was probably true.

“But we’ve been really good, William.” The name was said with a slight struggle, a five -nearly six- year old tongue could only do so much. The other noticed right away and grabbed the hand of his brother and smiled.

“Bill.”

“Wuh?” the inquiry wasn’t graceful. On the norm they were expected to speak years beyond what they were capable but together, in these moments away from watchful eyes, they could loosen their tongues.

“It’s a nickname.”

“A new name?”

Bill laughed. “No, a nickname. Uhm, like, you use them to make your name short or funny.”

His eyes widened and he gripped Bill’s hand a little tighter. Bill in turn only smiled wider.

“I want one.”

Bill placed one finger on his lip. He’d seen someone on a TV show do it when they were thinking really hard. He liked it and it had quickly become a habit of his. He already called his brother Dotello, it was severely harder to pronounce then William. He’d been scolded about it many times before; he continued to do it.

“Dot.”

His brother raised a brow, “Like a circle?”

“Like a code, dot dot Dot.” Bill giggled and his brother followed.  
“Okay, I’ll be Dot and you’ll be Bill. Yeah?” Dot never let his brother’s hand go but he did pull the blanket off their heads to lean back on the pillow at the head of the bed. He waited for his brother to crawl up and lay back with him. Bill did, using his free hand to bring the blanket with him. Together they looked up at the white ceiling with it’s hand painted silver and gold constellations.

Unlike the story behind why their bedroom walls were pink they’d never been told why there were stars on the ceiling or whether it was mother or father who had come up with the idea. Nearly every single constellation was painted, it must have taken months; nine perhaps. Dot had learned to read the constellations out of an encyclopedia in Father’s study about a month back. He’d hoped learning to read before turning six would make his parents just a little more proud. Bill was a quick learner but lazy, he retained the information read better then Dot could though.

“Capricornus,” Dot pointed a chubby finger up at the cluster.

“Virgo.” Bill pointed at the next one. They’d been memorizing the ceiling and comparing it with the one outside their window until it was almost one in the same. The Zodiacs were a little harder to memorize, their lines more obscure but certainly present in their little version of the sky. Maybe there were constellations missing, every star was certainly not represented but that didn’t matter to them. They had a piece of something special.

They fell asleep like that. Their fingers intertwined in sleep, heads bent towards each other, blonde mixing with black. In the morning Nanny had moved Bill to his appropriate bed before Mother came in to the room and announced that she would be leaving to Paris alone. The twins were expected to listen to their Father not ask for more then necessary. The promise Mother had made was not questioned, they knew better.

Bill wondered why this memory, of all the memories he shared with his brother, should be the one he thinks of now as he looks at Kryptos hold tightly to Dot’s hands. Her lilting voice dances around the area and out of the corner of his eye he can spot Mabel’s small form standing beside Stan looking cautious. There is an unease in the older Guardian’s brow that Bill registers but does not understand. Aunt Mo has a smile on her lips, or at least what passes for one on her more passive visage. Pentagram is gone, certainly not disappeared but also not present. Why does this unease Bill further?

He can feel his hands clenching and unclenching, amber eyes welling with tears. Is he sad? He doesn’t know. Perhaps, he is frustrated. That could be plausible. Tears of frustration wouldn’t be new, they would be uncommon though. He fights with the need to pull Dot away from the platinum haired vixen and run away at the same time. He’s stuck.

Unbeknownst to the turmoil taking place not more then a few feet away Dot holds tightly to Krystin’s hands and smiles wider at the watery smile she produces. Her ringlets only bounce as she seems to vibrate with excitement. Everything about her is the same and yet not, Dot can’t wait to hear how she’s been.

“What are you doing here?” They blurt out together, neither knowing who said it first. They laugh.

Krystin is the first to speak up, saying, “I live here. I have for a while now. What are you doing here?”

“This is, I came,” Dot paused and looked over his shoulder at Mabel whose green eyes were watching the edge of the forest of all things. It was peculiar, how quiet she was, but he would ask her about it later. He turned his attention back to Krystin. “My brother needed help, or rather his Guardian does.”

Krystin followed his gaze to the small brunette girl and let go of Dot’s hands, her keen eyes immediately seeing the slump in the child form of Mabel’s shoulders. Why it was most Guardian’s seemed wary around her she just couldn’t figure out. “I am assuming she is your Guardian Demon?”

“Mabel, her name is Mabel.” Dot said. Krystin watched his features soften, a sort of fondness there that was almost vulnerable. He was stronger from the boy she knew but only as much as the bond between him and the one thing that mattered. Whether that was a dangerous concept flitted through her mind for a brief moment.

“May I meet her?” Mabel was already walking forward as Krystin spoke, the bags she’d previously held on the ground. Her small hand came up to take one of Dot’s now free hands. Her grip was tight, reaffirming.

Mabel’s gaze held the storm gray of Krystin’s despite being shorter. Her stance was protective like a child version of a knight. “Hi.”

This was weird, too weird. Dot wasn’t used to this. Mabel was hyper and off the wall. She asked questions a mile a minute and loved everyone unconditionally until they proved otherwise. Krystin hadn’t proved anything yet but she was treating her worse then she treated Bill. He matched the grip that she held his hand with drawing her attention upward towards him. Mabel could see the question in his eyes but she didn’t answer it, she turned away and continued to watch the edge of the forest.

“This is Mabel. S-she’s been tired lately.” Dot said quickly, searching for a way to break the hurt expression Krystin was wearing. He remembered how sensitive Krystin was, she’d spent so much time convincing everyone how normal she was that one bad look in her direction would affect her negatively.

Krystin bounced her attention from Mabel to Dot and shone a smile that was perhaps too sweet for Dot’s taste. She reached for her throat and her smile faltered when her grip came up empty. “I- I have a Guardian too actually,” she started, her eyes darting around her and finally landing on the forest.

“You do!” Dot grinned and reached out once more for Krystin, her shoulder barely flinching when he came in contact with her. “How old were you? What are they like?”

Her smile became a little softer at his excitement. “I was fourteen. I’d been out shopping and it was getting dark…” Krystin drifted, her voice soft before she seemed to snap out of it. “Anyway, Gideon and I just clicked. He’s very smart, a bit hyper and imaginative. He kind of likes fashion, I never would have picked out a dress like this but he said it looked good on me.”

She was babbling, her cheeks flushed and the southern twang in her tone a little stronger. Dot recognized this as her being nervous and when he glanced down at Mabel he saw her noting the same thing. It was probably just nerves about meeting each other again, there wasn’t anything bad to be nervous about so he just smiled and said, “Well I can’t wait to meet him.”

“You will, I promise, but,” she started to speak but was stopped by Aunt Mo’s hand landing on her shoulder. Dot watched her smile become a little too sweet and her eyes took on a more sultry persona, no, not sultry, demure. She was lulling Aunt Mo into a sense of security. Dot would never have picked up on it if it weren’t for the fact that he played the same game when he was making bets at poker or answering job requests through company bigwigs. Who was this Krystin?

“As lovely as it is to see that Dot has friends I am a bit confused. I really don’t like being confused, it’s quite tiring.” Aunt Mo’s hand tightened just slightly, confusing Dot as well and he was already feeling that way about Krystin. “How do you know each other?”

The two looked at each other and this time both flushed a very cherry red, Dot’s eyes shifting to his feet and Mabel’s hand tighter on his. He’d told his Guardian all about Krystin once he’d actually warmed up to her but they’d never had the chance to meet. He’d never mentioned her to Aunt Mo or Bill. She was this bright rainbow in the darkest part of his life, he didn’t need them poking at it; he was embarrassed about meeting the first kind and pretty girl he’d ever known in a place like that. Then there was Krystin.

He looked back up at her, her face was flushed but it seemed to be out of frustration more then anything. Dot wondered how much Gravity Falls knew about her. Did she have friends? Did they know about her gift? Did they care? Likewise, Krystin wasn’t sure if telling Dot’s family that they’d met in a mental facility was the wisest decision. After all, she’d been running from all those things when Gideon had pointed her in this direction. If Dot was in the process of running as well then she didn’t want to be the conveniently placed tree root in his horror story.

Fortunately, Aunt Mo was as observational as she was lazy and placed her other hand on Dot’s shoulder letting out a huff of air. “Don’t talk all at once now. It’s pretty obvious you two met when you were very young.” The two looked took in Aunt Mo’s calm features and it felt as if the air were just a little fresher. “Well Dot, knowing our town psychic might be in your favor. Kryptos is a hot commodity around here, she’s gotten to be friendly with near everyone in town. I’m sure she’d be happy to show you around.”

Krystin began nodding her head, the platinum ringlets bouncing, reflected colors creating rainbows like Dot remembered. “Yes, of course. You can meet everyone in town and have lunch, the four of us. You and Mabel and Gideon and I, it’d be so much fun.”

Dot’s smile was eager, friendly open and he desperately tried to hide the falter in it when Mabel’s grip suddenly loosened. It wasn’t enough for her to drop his hand but her fingertips were just a ghost on his palm. Did she think he was going to forget about Dipper? She should know him better then that. “That sounds like fun.”

“Great,” Aunt Mo, turned Krystin towards her, “But not now, Kryptos and I have some business to attend to and Dot, you really should settle in and make sure the room is comfortable. I can never guarantee that Bill killed every spider that scuttled across his toe.”

“Oh, right.” Dot had completely forgot Bill was the one who had been cleaning out a space for him to stay. He turned to look up at the house but when there was no sight of the blonde his brows furrowed. “Where is he?”

“He was just there.” Mabel’s small voice was at his ear now, she’d reverted to her Demon form, sitting comfortable on Dot’s shoulder. Dot walked towards the front of the house stopping he caught a glint of gold on the stairs. It was the pendant, the chain was still intact so it hadn’t broken and fallen off. Bill had consciously taken the necklace off and left it behind. Mabel descended to take the pendant in her small hands and he could tell just from the crinkle in her eye that she was upset.

“Maybe he just went inside,” Dot hastened, “He probably thought since he was here he wouldn’t need it.”

“Nope,” Stan said, popping the P at the end. “Kid ran off to the forest. I wouldn’t worry though. He practically grew up running around in there, if anyone can survive that place it’s Bill.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Dot was holding on to Mabel now, the way he did when he was a kid, tucked into his arms, against his chest. A bad feeling was starting to rise into his throat leaving a bad taste on his tongue. He was sure Mabel could feel it.

Stan shrugged, as if to say that it wasn’t a big deal. “Guardian Demons aren’t the only anomaly attracted to Gravity Falls is all.”

Dot didn’t know what that meant either. He could have been talking about mountain lions or actual lions for all he knew. Was a mutant kangaroo going to stuff Bill into their pouch and run off with him? What sort of secrets was Gravity Falls hiding behind it’s curtain of tree’s and bubbling brooks? One passing glance at Krystin, the town Psychic, told him what he need to know. This town obviously had no trouble believing in things that would have landed others in an asylum. “Is Dipper still here?”

Mabel didn’t hesitate, “Yeah, somewhere inside.”

Bill was running around a forest with who knows what Guardianless. Why had he run off in the first place?

“He wasn’t looking too good,” Mabel said, as if sensing the question. “He’s out of range now, but when I saw him…” her voice drifted.

“Don’t push yourself, Mabel, you’re still recovering. Let’s go inside for now, check out the room, make sure Dipper is comfortable.” Dot threw Krystin one more glance only to see her disappearing into the same forest his brother had supposedly gone into.

 

* * *

 

 

The sun had already descended behind the trees by the time Bill had stopped walking. He’d already pulled the sleeves of his shirt down to fight against the evening chill but there was still a warm humidity that clung to the air. That was always a positive thing about summers in Gravity Falls, the warmth that could keep you outside into all hours of the night. He’d camped on the edge of the forest over a dozen times as a kid and taken hikes that lasted the whole day twice as many times. No one would come looking for him.

He had told himself he wouldn’t be gone for long but as soon as the forest had enveloped it’s arms around him he didn’t want to leave. Once he’d passed the gnomes and their patch of the forest he knew that he probably wasn’t going back for a while. It was easier to wrap himself in the mysteries of the forest then to deal with the realities of what lay outside. This was his domain, a place where normal people saw nightmares and screamed out prayers of disbelief. Here is where he felt real.

There was a small trickle of a stream, no wider then a couple of feet. Bill dipped his hand and scooped out the cool water, sipping it from his hand without hesitation. He could rest here for a while and then debate on going back. He knew he’d have to, but right now he just wanted to lay back in the soft grass of the clearing and watch as each star took it’s place in the sky. He wanted to name constellations and imagine there was someone else beside him echoing the names. He only wanted to be Bill Cipher, the strange kid who walked out of the forest with scrapped knees and a cheeky grin. Whose brother was still safely tucked away in a place where no one else but he could reach and not being whisked away by the real world. Was that so wrong?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I end this I'd just like to go ahead and mention to you all that Dipper is waking up in the next chapter :3 I had fully intended for this chapter and the next one to be one chapter but I decided against it at the last minute for reasons that may or may not be obvious in the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed, don't forget to comment so we can chat it up :)


	15. Unsteady

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I listened to every version of Unsteady by X Ambassadors while I wrote this chapter; I think I might have teared up writing this chapter.

“I win again!”

A collective groan resounded through the room. Dot leaned back in his chair, covering his face with the fan of cards in his hand. Stanley was eyeing the smaller Guardian before him whose face looked like it was about to split from grinning so wide. Aunt Mo’s chin was in her hand, smiling fondly at Stanley who wasn’t so used to losing at Poker.

“This is the third hand you’ve won in a row, kid. How are you doing that?”

“Practice, Grunkle Stan. I’ve had plenty of practice.”

“You’re always smiling! What kind of pokerface is that?”

Mabel laughed and popped one of the jelly beans they’d been using as collateral into her mouth.

They’d been playing for the last hour and it was starting to get dark outside. During dinner Mabel had casually dropped, to Dot’s horror, that a lot of their income came from Dot’s supremo betting skills and perfected poker face. Stanley took it as a challenge and roped in Aunt Mo from a book she’d been reading. Stanley had won the first two hands, raising the jelly bean stakes just enough for Dot to start showing them what it meant to hustle. He’d won the next four hands before Mabel turned the tables on them. Dot had been having fun, even if every time he looked up at Aunt Mo, she seemed to be intensely bored.

Looking out the window at the orange color of the sky Dot sighed. It had been four days since they’d last seen Bill. When the sun had gone down on the first day he and Mabel had put on a jacket and prepared to hike into the forest. They’d been caught by Stanley who told Dot his city shoes would never make it halfway to Bill. Reluctantly he’d gone to bed, Mabel soothing his bunched up nerves.

He’d woken up early, as usual, the next morning. Mabel was lying down curled around her brother’s still form. Downstairs, Stanley was cooking and Aunt Mo was still asleep. He’d told them to wait around a bit but they’d only stayed long enough for a pancake each before taking off into town where Dot procured a pair of hiking boots that looked similar to the ones Bill favored. Again he’d planned on running back to drop off a couple of the other things he’d bought when a heavy hand fell on his shoulder.

Behind him was a short, dark skinned man who tipped his sheriffs hat at Dot and smiled in a warm but warning manner. This was MIKE’s connection apparently and Dot recognized the man immediately as the man who used to be a Guard at the facility he’d spent his childhood in. His Guardian Demon was still ever present and genuinely pleased to see both of them. Dot ended up spending the afternoon talking with Sheriff Blubs. It started off as more of an interview, where he was staying, who was he staying with, “oh you’re Bill’s brother,” “he’s a weird kid,” and eventually turned into giving Dot a list of things he should do while he’s there for the summer. They’d parted on good terms and a promise that Blubs was not going to inform anyone of anything that wasn’t absolutely necessary.

By the time he’d returned Aunt Mo and Stanley were preparing dinner and roped Dot into helping and ensuring that Mabel was nowhere near the food with edible glitter. He didn’t question their lack of concern for Bill. Instead he watched the exchanges between Stanley and Mabel with interest. Mabel, upon entering the abode, was toting Dipper around in her arms with a carefulness he’d never seen her use. Though she was energetically telling Stanley about all her favorite places in San Francisco she was consciously trying not to jostle her brother too severely. Stanley listened with rapt attention, his fond gaze only ever leaving Mabel to sneak a glance at Aunt Mo. In terms of the woman, she was quiet and frequently bore a tired expression. When Dot attempted to engage her in conversation her answers were often short and clipped. It was a far cry from when he’d first arrived; it was more like the last time she’d visited him all those years ago.

The second and third day passed much the same way. Dot would get close to leaving and Stanley would intercept them. He’d spend a few hours helping with inventory in the little shop of ‘horrors’ that Aunt Mo ran (it would be more fair to say Stanley ran it from what Dot observed) and by the time he was done he’d be asked to run out and grab lunch for Aunt Mo where he’d get caught up talking to someone. Mabel really shone through in those moments. As most everyone’s Guardian stayed in their Demon form Mabel’s ability to maintain hers as long as Stanley made her a particularly interesting conversation piece. Not that Dot got in half of the conversation, Mabel did fine on her own and people had definitely warmed up to her.

The fourth morning he’d woken up, Mabel groggily opened her eyes and touted Dipper around in her arms like a stuffed toy. She’d returned to pulling books from her pocket dimension that she’d brought from Bill’s apartment and had been using her energy to settle Dot’s completely frazzled nerves. Instead of rushing to lace up the newly bought hiking boots and racing out to the forest Dot took his time. He slipped a button up on, leaving it open for now.

Per usual, Stanley was cooking downstairs and also as per usual, Aunt Mo was nowhere in sight. Mabel sidled up to Stanley at the stove and Dot watched as the older Guardian whacked her hand away from the batter. This morning’s breakfast was waffles, the scent of cinnamon in the batter sweet in the air.

“Why aren’t you ever with Aunt Mo in the morning?” Dot asked, initiating conversation. He’d spent the last two weeks with Bill and Mabel, each a constant stream of speech. With only Mabel it seemed quieter.

“She skips breakfast, too lazy to cook, so I make it for her. She won’t eat right after she wakes up neither, its gotta be at least an hour after she’s up. Too lazy to chew I guess.” Stanley chuckled and brought over a large waffle for Dot.

“Can I add sprinkles to mine?” Mabel asked, standing by the batter again.

“Yeah, fine and put your brother down. He ain’t waking up with you squeezing him like that.”

Mabel placed Dipper on a chair beside Dot and ran back to the stove, grabbing a cylinder of rainbow sprinkles from sundaes the night before. Dot took a bite of the waffle before him and huffed a breath. This was day four, day four of living in this house without Bill and without being anywhere closer to wearing Dipper. This was Day four of barely more then a handful of exchanges with his aunt.

“Dot…” he heard Mabel say before he spoke up again.

“Does Aunt Mo hate us?” Dot questioned, the clatter of the spatula on the floor making him flinch.

There was a pause before a hefty breath as Stanley leaned forward to pick up the utensil. “Don’t be silly, kid. Pi doesn’t hate anyone.”

“She’s never around when I am. That first day, it was like…it was nice. But I see more of you then I see of her. Aren’t you supposed to be with her anyways? And she’s not even worried about Bill? He’s been gone for four days.” Dot’s tone was even but he had a white knuckled grip on his fork. The questions spilled out and he couldn’t bring himself to look up, though he could feel Mabel, across the room, watching him intently.

When Stanley didn’t answer Dot took another bite off his waffle. He didn’t want to look up, he didn’t want to face the unease that had been sitting in his gut these last few days. He’d always been quite, never speaking out of place. When Mother yelled he was quiet, when the guards asked if he pushed someone he didn’t answer yes or no, when businessmen where threatening to take everything he had he glossed over the thought in silence. Maybe it wasn’t the wisest decision.

He heard Stanley take a breath, as if he were going to answer but Dot stopped him. With a sudden, jerky, movement he stood from the table and folded the rest of the waffle in half. “Nevermind, I’m going to find Bill. Don’t try and stop me this time.”

Mabel followed him into the forest five minutes later, her rainbow tail blurring his vision for a moment as she silently put herself in front of him. The forest was warm despite the canopy of trees blocking out the sun. The scent of flora almost intoxicating. He could understand why Bill would have spent so much time here as a kid. As soon as you stepped into the tree line there was nothing but the sounds of birds and wind through leaves. A low mist clinging to the floor was barely visible but reminiscent of the place he felt safest; it would surely clear the closer it got to midday.

“Dot?” Mabel’s soft echoic voice pierced the silence.

“Hmm?” There was no trail and they’d been walking for the last ten minutes in some direction, keeping their back to shack so they wouldn’t get too lost right off the bat.

“You don’t really think she hates you, do you? Because I can assure you, hate is the last thing on her mind. She’s always a little uhm, ah… confused? But totally not in hate with you. Don’t be a sourpuss and let the happy get away, Dot. You deserve to be happy, you know.”

Dot stopped to look over at his Guardian, fixing her with one of his more guilty looks. He hadn’t brought a backpack or even a bottle of water. His typical button down shirt was still slung across the back of the chair he’d occupied leaving his arms bare from the biceps down. There was nothing for his hands to busy themselves with as he tried to push the words past his lips. “I- Mabel…”

Had they’d ever had this conversation before? Of the millions they’ve had has Dot ever said those words to her?

“I wouldn’t blame her if she did.” That’s what he settled with and he felt like a coward.

They’d wandered for almost two hours without anything but a squirrel skittering across their path or birds tweeting about their heads. Mabel had switched from somber to skippy in less then a few minutes, choosing to instead cheer Dot up and let him tell her things at his own pace. It was an approach she’d become familiar with over the years. When Mabel had convinced Dot that it probably wasn’t the smartest idea to keep running deeper into the forest they spent another couple of hours going back.

Two things were different when he’d stepped into the kitchen ready to eat something after all the exertion. The first thing was Aunt Mo, leaning against Stanley’s back with her forehead pressed between his shoulder blades. She was muttering, whining about having to cut her day early and that he’d better make her chicken extra crispy; she looked tired, like Stanley was the only thing keeping her up. The second thing was the stack of books on the kitchen table, maybe five or six thick volumes. He’d seen plenty of books around the home, most Bill’s he was sure, but these were older then the contemporary ones his brother favored.

When the resounding pop of Mabel returning to her corporeal form happened it seemed to break the moment of silence Aunt Mo had been experiencing. Immediately the woman zeroed in on the two standing in the doorway. She smiled, a small warm smile, and told them to go wash up. They hastened to do so and found their way back to the kitchen table where Aunt Mo asked how far he’d gotten and Stanley asked if they’d seen anything. He relayed the uneventful afternoon and the lack of sighting anything, including his brother, with an awkward air. Stanley seemed at ease but Aunt Mo looked jittery and he was sure that her Guardian had said something about that mornings altercation.

“Hey!”

Dot withdrew himself completely from his reverie and snapped his head in Mabel’s direction who was standing back from the table now turning in several circles before looking up at Dot with wide green eyes, horror written on her face.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, already reaching out to place his hand on her head. He couldn’t read her emotions the way that she could read his, but he knew her well and she was distressed.

“Dipper’s gone.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Thanks for walking with me.”

“It’s my pleasure, you don’t come to visit us much anymore.”

“Like I said…”

“Yes, yes, your studies take you far from the forest.”

“I’m not lying.”

“I know, young Cipher.”

“I’m not a kid anymore either.”

“Not by your standards, but to me you are but a youngling.”

Bill stuffed his hands in his pockets and huffed a breath. Beside him the Manotaur was a hulking mass of heat, each sway of his body fending off the chill the night brought. After wander the forest of his own accord Bill settled and spent the last two days among the Manotaurs; his friends since he was fourteen. They’d distrusted him at first, finding him odd with his senseless want and need for knowledge. Eventually Bill had been able to convince them how useful a scholar among them could be.

Before he’d been with the Manotaur’s he’d found himself camping beneath the stars and munching on the berries that he knew were safe. A gnome scout had given him some bread on the first morning and he’d made his way to visit a couple of spirit’s he knew clung to a certain part of the forest that was normally to far for a days hike. Bill had done everything he could to distract himself from turning back home. He’d almost gone to the enchanted part of the forest in search of Fairies but decided mosquito bites were a more welcome discomfort then Fairy bites.

“You’ve not told me what is bothering you.” The Manotaur rumbled, adjusting Bill’s attention.

“It’s just some feeling stuff, very un-manly.” Bill responded, receiving a grunt of acceptance from the creature. It was one of the reasons he liked the Manotaurs, they didn’t question what went on in his head. They ran purely on testosterone and there was hardly ever room for feelings and emotions; things of which Bill had been evading successfully over the years.

They walked in silence once more but Bill’s head was anything but silent. It seemed that over the last four days every time he took a step closer to the shack, closer to Dot, his mind swam. There was a continuous stream of chatter that threatened to overcome him and so he’d stayed away, it was quieter in his domain. It wasn’t any better when he walked away, however. The silence often pressured him, pushing down on his shoulders with the weight of the world. It was almost like what people described as guilt. He’d pined for the attention of his twin for so long and now that he had him back he’d abandoned him.

Abandoned was the word, wasn’t it? It felt like such a harsh word to Bill, he’d never intentionally abandon Dot. He loved Dot. Dot was everything to him.

Bill shook his hair out and gasped in a deep breath of air. Had he stopped breathing? Was that why his head was so light and airy? The world’s colors were starting to blur together; it felt familiar. It was familiar and he needed to stop. When he looked up at the concern on the large Manitour’s face it was like the last straw, the final pull on the rubberband before it was stretched too thin. Someone was worrying about him, someone was concerned, someone was seeing him and he was vulnerable. Bill tried to register the words from the creatures snout but the words didn’t flow, they were just sounds, a waterfall of consonants and syllables with no meaning. He barely got away from the arm that was reaching for him.

“Need to go.” Bill said. The shakiness in his tone was more then he could handle himself- he was falling apart. “I’ll be fine from here.”

He thought back to Dot’s panic attack, he counted, he tried to remember every single grounding mechanism he’d learned from textbooks and teachers but this was different. This wasn’t panic, this was- he’d had a name for it once but he couldn’t remember, couldn’t think. Bill barely registered the lumbering steps as they left him in the middle of the forest with no more audience then the trees and squirrels.

“What did I do?” he muttered, taking a step in the direction his brother was- he knew he was there, it was like he could feel him.

“It’s my fault,” he felt his lips moving but the words weren’t registering. “I did it.”

Bill was out of his head now, gone, reality had fallen from beneath his feet, his knees, his hands. Memories of a childhood long passed. Dot toddling after their mother, Bill trying to pull him back before he caught his fingers in the door Mother shut. Bill being scolded for stealing books out of Father’s library while Dot sat on the blanket that was hiding said volume. Dot crying because of Bill’s bruises. Bill angry because he couldn’t stop the litany of insults on their parent’s lips. Bill turning on the stove in the middle of the night. Bill putting superglue in Father’s shampoo. Bill putting holes in Mother’s scarves. Dot with a bruise on his cheek because Bill hadn’t been fast enough to come out of hiding and confess.

That guilt had been locked away with every hug his brother gave him, with every squeeze of their hands that linked them as siblings. It was okay, his brother would whisper to him. It wasn’t okay.

Bill didn’t know when it had started, perhaps he’d always been like this. Perhaps something had gone wrong at birth and he hadn’t been born with enough of something; or was it too much of something? He didn’t care enough to find out, he needed to protect Dot.

His feet hurt.

His legs hurt.

His lungs hurt.

Had he been running? Maybe that’s why the world was a blur, passing by him at a pace that he wasn’t used to. The branches and leaves that caught at his cheeks bit into his skin but he paid them no mind. He’d probably twisted his ankle at one point but he ignored it- he needed to protect his brother. Damn his head hurt.

It was dark when he knew he’d reached his destination, the only real source of light being the orange glow clinging to horizon line of trees that surrounded the small shack. His eyes were unfocused, darting this way and that. His mind wasn’t there, wasn’t understanding his surroundings, reality entirely bypassed. He stalked the edge of the trees and looked at the few lights on in the abode and gave each light a name. There was static as he stepped closer to the home, like a signal that was struggling to reach him. It was just white noise.

He felt the grin on his lips before he felt the bite of the splintered wood on his hand as he climbed through the window, he felt the golf club in his hand before the smooth wood against his back as he sneaked down the hallway, he felt the slick of his tongue run over his lips before the squelch of making contact with something both soft and hard at the same time. It was delightful. He probably would have done it again if he hadn’t been pushed through the doorway into the kitchen.

The kitchen.

The kitchen.

He’d always like the kitchen.

“Bill?”

It was a female’s voice, a tall willowy female. Mother.

“Bill, what are you doing?” _“Bill, what should you be doing?”_

“Come on kid, gimme the club.” _“Leave him, I’ll give ’em the club.”_ Father.

“We’ve never seen this.” _“I want to see this.”_

Bill grinned and leaned into the counter, dropping the thin steel from his hand and reaching until he felt the cool, smooth handle of his sought after weapon. It was serrated, good.

“Where did Dot go?” _“Where did Donatello go?”_

“Leave him alone.” Bill cried out stepping forward. Mother was nursing her arm, it was her he must have hit first. They weren’t going to take him away, they weren’t going to make him go on alone. They were already so alone. Why couldn’t they be satisfied with all they’d already taken from him? “You can’t take him.”

“He was here a minute ago.” _“He should have been here minutes ago.”_

Bill’s head hurt. He was seeing but not exactly seeing. He took a step and expected the click of tile but received the hollow thump of hardwood. It didn’t match. There was something different this time.

This time? Had he done this before?

He took another step forward.

“Kid, Bill, you don’t have to do this.” A part of the sentence synched in his head and he took another step forward, brandishing the knife in front of him. “I don’t wanna hurt you.”

Stanley stood in front of Aunt Mo, hands lifted up, ready to retaliate at a moments notice. He was lost at how to help the situation. He wasn’t Mabel with her ability to see all the bright and happy under the dark, pulling it out until everyone was laughing again. He certainly was no Dipper who could analyze- or overanalyze- the situation and tell you exactly what was going on and how to fix it; even if he couldn’t always implement the fixing himself. He was just Stanley, fists and a quick tongue; and magic but he wasn’t going to hurt Bill, even if he had struck Pi.

Bill lunged and Stanley shoved Pi behind him further making a grab with his other hand for the blond’s wrist. Unfortunately, Bill was quicker, his body tucking away on instinct. Stanley was beginning to double think his choice to put Bill in boxing classes. The blond looked confused when he stood straighter, his gaze dropping to his hands for a split second. He hadn’t been able to move like that the first time.

First time, again?

Outside the thin line of orange was dissipating further, the glow turning the amber of Bill’s eyes gold. He was muttering again, stalking forward once more and as if it clicked in the woman’s mind Aunt Mo gripped Stanley tight and pulled his arm to her. “Change back,” she said.

“But-“ Stanley stopped, taking in the serious lines of Aunt Mo’s face, her normally void of emotion eyes filled with a sort of desperation he hadn’t seen since she was much younger. The pop of changing back into his demonic form vibrated in the air and the graceful, predatory swagger Bill had taken on stuttered. His pupils dilated at the familiar sound, one he knew he’d heard before but couldn’t place where or when. He gripped the knife in his hand tighter, knuckles white.

“What now, genius?” Stanley was sitting atop the cloud of Aunt Mo’s head. She was terrified. She wasn’t looking at a ten year old boy with golden hair and eyes that had reminded her so uncomfortably of her little sister. She was looking at a predator, the lines of his body coiled tightly, ready to spring at her slightest motion. Bill had always been dangerous, she’d always known this, from the moment he stepped through the door of her home. She’d spent nights with her back pressed against her headboard, waiting. When it never came she’d tried to pry it out of him, tired of the anvil swaying over her head.

Aunt Mo didn’t answer Stanley but she did take a step forward hand out as she calmly talked at Bill. “Look at me, Bill. Can you see me?”

“I’m not blind.” he spat out almost immediately. It felt wrong on Bill’s tongue. Where had Father gone? Why was Mother’s voice so calm? “Maybe you will be though, in a minute. I haven’t decided.”

“What do you see, Bill?” Aunt Mo tried again, stepping forward once more. She knew Stanley would protect her if something happened but his form’s disappearance had certainly unsteadied Bill. If she could just keep shaking him until Dot got back; maybe it would be best if Dot didn’t come back.

“You.” That was dumb question.

“Who do you see?” she tried again.

“You.” he said it between gritted teeth. He refused to call her anything that she didn't deserve. He was so tired of them looking down on him.

Aunt Mo was close enough that if she lunged forward at just the right time she could grab twist the knife from his hand. She was no Stanley, surely not meant to fight, but she knew a few things and all she needed was an opening. Stanley would have hurt him, she couldn’t. Her gaze watched him rearrange the utensil and she took it, reaching out in the second of weakness. He shouted when he felt her hand on his wrist but he didn’t drop the knife, he wouldn’t drop it. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go!

He felt his fist connect with something but he didn’t have time to register what it was before he was flung back, head hitting the refrigerator with a crack. The knife was still in his hand; maybe his hand hurt from holding on too hard.

“Bill!”

The name rang through his head, bouncing off the walls rapidly. He heard it again but it wasn’t right, it wasn’t supposed to sound like that. Why did it sound wrong?”

“Bill!”

When he looked up his vision was stilly blurry, tainted in red. He was bleeding, the hilt of the knife must have caught him hard when he blocked his face. The curl on his lip mimicked a snarl but it fell flat at the sight before him. It was all wrong!

Why was everything wrong?

“Wrong.” Bill muttered.

  
Dot heard the commotion from where he’d run into the forest following Mabel. She’d run out of the house as soon as she observed that Dipper wasn’t there. She called his name, fingers stretched out before her, the myriad of colors sparking from the tips like they were trying so hard to connect to something. It was desperate. She hadn’t even transformed, just ran. When the sound of a shout had cut through the air she’d paused, her eyes so wide on the brim of crying and mouth quivering. He’d never seen Mabel look so torn.

Then like lightening going through her body, her fingertips lit up and she was running again, shouting for Dot to hurry. He did. He hurried. Something was wrong.

When Dot burst through the doorway into the kitchen the first thing he noticed was Aunt Mo, nursing her shoulder sitting against the far wall. Stanley leaning was over her, his eyes sorry, so sorry and it almost pained Dot to look any longer. Aunt Mo was trying to shoo him away but there weren’t any words on her lips, she was too focused on what was playing out in front of her. Enraptured with the ferocity of such a small being.

The boy was familiar. It was so familiar Dot almost reached out to pull him back towards him where it was safer. But there were so many differences, so many little things that made this boy not Mabel. He may have had the same wavy brown hair, button nose, pink cheeks and round face. His eyes, though green, were not Mabel’s. Where Mabel’s were always lit with wonder and joy this boy’s green were steady, a strong, set in decisive colors of knowledge; fact. This was Dipper.  
Dot heard him say Bill’s name one more time, hand outstretched as if he had been the one to fling his brother across the room. Perhaps he had. It was still a child’s voice, like Mabel’s but far more determined, far more real.

“Bill.” Dot didn’t call it out but he said it before he knew what he was doing and gripped Mabel’s sweater like an anchor as she made to move forward- towards her brother.

“Dipper!” Mabel called out trying to wrestle herself from Dot’s grip.

“Stay back, Mabel!” Dipper said, his other hand out, warning her away. “He’s dangerous.”

“So what? I can help.”

“No, you’ll get hurt. Stay with Dot.” Dipper turned his eyes back to Bill as he said it and grit his teeth like there was an underlying exertion there, something that only he could make sense of.

“Dot?”

Bill turned his head to his twin, trying now, to stand back up but only make it to his knee. Everything was so blurry and so wrong. He tried to find Dot in the mess but all he got was a taller, messed up version of his twin. He raised the knife again and it looked so clear in his hand, so real, not like everything else. Everything else, from the windows to the cabinets to the people, was wrong. He hated it.

He ran his other hand through his hair and it came away sticky, red; that was clear too.

“What did I do?” Bill whispered but Dot hear it loud and clear.

“Weirdmaggedon.” Dot said and he strained to move forward but this time it was Mabel’s hand on his.

“Keep him there.” Dipper said. He had stepped closer but Mabel was holding him now; they were holding each other.

“No, I know this. I’ve helped him before.” Dot said, though he hadn’t let go of his Guardian.

“No, you haven’t.” Dipper turned to Dot, the determination in those green eyes was startling. “He’s lost touch of reality.”

Why does everyone keep saying that, Dot thought.

Fist gripping at the ground, trying to find strength to stand up again the ground taking up his vision. He couldn’t look at Dot, or not-Dot, or whatever the blurry impostor was. Dot wasn’t even supposer to be there, he wasn’t there first time. The first time. Why did he keep thinking that? Why was everything in his head not matching up. He needed it to be right again, he needed-

“…reality.”  
Bill tore his eyes from the wooden planks of the floor and looked up at the one thing, the only person that wasn’t blurry. He was so real, like a solid black line on too white paper. Before he knew it he was standing again, barely, brandishing the knife before him trying to cut through the fog. He heard someone call out a name, but it wasn’t his name so he brought the knife down but it didn’t connect, it just went through the air in front of this person and fell; he fell with it. His knees hit the ground again and in frustration he tried to hit.

“Stop being an idiot, Bill.”

His head snapped up to look at the person in front of him. Without thinking he dropped the knife- the clatter was so real- and threw his arms around them pressing his nose into the fabric of their T-shirt; they smelled like the forest.

“Pine Tree.”

“Yeah…” Dipper placed his smaller hands on the teen’s shoulders and held tight.

“What did I do?”

It had been a long time since Dipper needed to use this much power. Actually, he couldn’t remember a time he ever had to. Piecing someone’s reality back together was strenuous work and as held on to Bill he could feel every shaky step Bill had taken throughout the years. That was probably why it had taken so long for him to come to Bill. He had always been a danger, always been unstable. The ground was always crumbling with every step. The door only opened right before everything fell loose.

“You’ll have to tell me.”

Bill kept his arms around the smaller boy, holding on to the only steady thing in his life at that point. He tried to open his eyes but his vision was blurry again and this time he knew why. Fat tears rolled down his cheeks as he tried to gasp for large breaths but only succeeded in letting out half whimpers and cries. Shoulders shaking as his world started to fall and click in place, as reality became clearer. Dipper never let go.

Dot fell to the floor, letting out a breath as he listened to his brother cry. He’d never heard Bill cry before, whimper and groan but not cry, not heaving wet sobs. It was almost comforting.

“I don’t deserve you.”

Dot froze, eyes widening, pupils dilated. He knew the chill he felt was only his and he barely registered Mabel’s soft hand in his hair before he completely shut down. Those words had floated around in his head for so long he never expected to hear them again. He never expected to be in the same room if they were.

With expertise born of years handling Dot, Mabel pulled the strings in his head, easing her charge into a comfortable sleep; she could ask later what triggered it but first she needed to be sure he was safe. When she looked up at Dipper again her brother was holding on to his charge. No one else but her and Stan could see it but Dipper was hard at work, pulling together the pieces that Bill had lost and gluing them in one by one.

“Shut up, Bill.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys... guys ... I waited till the end of this chapter to tell you that I'm sorry for taking so long but this chapter meant so much to me because if I hadn't decided to make this story longer this would be considered the last chapter before the epilogue but this isn't the end. Okay technically this the last chapter before the Epilogue.
> 
> No, seriously. This is it. This is the End everyone and I thank all of you for reading. Continue on to the epilogue now :)


	16. Epilogue: The Reason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well it's not a blanket and hot chocolate but we're coming down from the emotional roller coaster for a pitstop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys ... OmGosh! Just, I Love All of You! Your reception of the last chapter was so encouraging and I'm just so excited that the first arc of this entire story is closing and we're making our way into the next. I just can't get over how amazing of a writer you guys make me feel. Thank you!  
> UPDATE:: I'm moving the second arc of this story into it's own story. So you guys are getting a SEQUEL! I haven't posted it yet but I am going to very soon. The title of the story is still a work in progress, I'm tied up between a couple but you'll see it when it gets there.
> 
> I'd like to make it known to all of you however, that I still intend for this to be a Bill/Dip fic and if you aren't comfortable with then you can end the story here and be content with this as the end. However if you are ready for that slow burn to really start continue on to the sequel.

Trying to arrange the bow tie the way he knew Mother liked it Dot grew frustrated. The mirror reflected on his small nine year old body, hair slicked and coifed in the same style as his brother, shoes shiny, suit pressed. He liked the look but the art of a bow tie had completely been lost on him. He’d have asked Bill to fix it but Father had come in to the parlor room an hour ago and whisked his twin away with little more then a huff of acknowledgement in his direction. He’d have to hope it was good enough to get passed Mother until he could find Bill again.

The party they were supposed to attend with their parents was the first of many holiday parties that they’d becomes accustomed to attending since they were seven. Quiet, prim and proper, those were their instructions. They were to flank Mother and only ask questions if given express permission. It wasn’t until Mother had drank too much that they’d move away and find a corner to sit in until Father sent them home in a car. Ever the caring dad, making sure his boys got enough sleep.

This party was only a little different as in Mother and Father would be hosting. Mother wanted a cabin for the holidays and she insisted that she kick off the month of parties herself. Father was a more dotting husband then anything else and easily gave in to her whims. They’d moved out to the immense ‘cabin’ —it was more like a wooden mansion— a week ago and Mother had been preparing for this night since then. Dot really didn’t want it to be ruined by the fact that he couldn’t tie his own bow tie correctly.

A knock on the door startled Dot, neither of his parents ever thought to knock. He turned around, hardening his face on instinct. Mother and Father were always very insistent that their boys be void of unnecessary emotion that might give away more then necessary. When the door didn’t open after a second Dot cleared his throat and told whoever it was to come in.

Dot had never met the man in the doorway before but he wasn’t dressed like a butler nor did he have the air of one.

“Hello, sir.” Dot’s tone was firm. He’d learned at such an early age how to treat people with indifference. The gaze he’d fixed this man with could have made Father proud, he was sure of it. “I’m afraid you’re lost. The party is down the hall. If you are in search of a restroom please direct you’re questions to the men and women in red velvet.”

The man didn’t answer right away, he simply propped the door open and walked into the room as if he owned it. It unnerved Dot for only a moment but his facade did not drop. Everyone was beneath him- there was no time for fear or second guesses in these moments.

“You are Donatello I presume.” The man said, his voice not quite as deep and demanding as Fathers but the cadence still spoke of a man who was used to getting his way. “I traveled quite a bit to come here and meet you.”

This did unsettle Dot, his back going a tad straighter as he inquired, “Me, sir?”

“That is what I said,” the man said without missing a beat. “I was told you were smart.”

Was Dot being tested? He wouldn’t put it passed Father. The real question then would be whether he was to show this man respect or put him in his place. He wished Bill were there.

“I assure you, sir, I am not as smart as you’ve been told.” The man scoffed in contempt. “I am smarter.”

This earned Dot a small quirk of the lips from the man; almost a smile. “Young man, you are aware of your place in this room aren’t you?”

“Oh yes, sir. Are you?” Dot felt his stomach drop, he hated the ice in his voice. He hated the way his face never let slip anything he was thinking- it was exhausting. He would not fail Father though.

This earned him a deep chuckle from the man who walked forward and settled himself on one of the two victorian couches in the room. He crossed his ankles and set his hands in his lap after motioning for Dot to take a seat across from him. Dot did so, mimicking the man’s posture as near as he could. Don’t show the cracks in your armor.

“You may call me, Preston, Donatello. I am an associate of your father’s.”

“My apologies, Preston. My Father is otherwise indisposed but I am sure I could assist you in finding him. The party is only just starting, we could start there.” Dot was starting to lose his ground. At nine he and Bill were exceptionally articulate but sometimes his age caught up to him and the part became tiring.

“No, I did come to meet you, my boy.” Dot’s eyes narrowed as something felt off about those words; about the way they were said.

“Is there something I can help you with?”

Preston leaned back into the couch and grinned. “Let’s talk, Donatello. You seem a smart, strapping boy. You’re father is very lucky to have a son of such caliber.”

They did talk. They talked for what felt like hours and each time Dot was able to match the older man’s knowledge on any given subject Preston sang his praises. It almost led Dot to feel flustered but he maintained his modesty. Father never so much as half grunted his approval, if he even acknowledged it in the first place. To the public eye he was a proud doting Father but in private the story was so different. He never spoke ill of Father or Mother while he spoke with Preston. Bill, however, never came up and Dot had started to fidget in his seat minutely at realizing that his twin had been gone from his side for far too long.

Finally, Preston made to stand up and Dot followed the motion. It seemed Preston had heard something that he had not and that was the soft click of heels on tile floors. A woman appeared in the doorway. Once upon a time she could have been beautiful but it was all preserved like a bottled jam or a pickle. Nonetheless Dot played the formal role and smiled in the way he knew made older women croon over him. She ruffled his slick hair and told him how handsome he was before she turned her attention to Preston and they left.

They left and Dot stood in the doorway without any instruction. The couple had walked back to the party and Dot was sure that perhaps he should follow but he couldn’t feel his legs. All of the little emotions he’d kept trapped in him during his time with Preston came rushing back to him and he collapsed on the floor sniffling back a few tears. He felt like a baby but he couldn’t help it. He was nine and all he wanted was his brother and a cool glass of water. Dot didn’t have to wait long. Bill found him twenty minutes later, hair slicked back and dark blue suit matching Dot’s to the very T. He smiled jauntily, amber eyes betraying the motion. Bill wasn’t happy. Later when Dot would ask where Bill had been the blonde would refuse to speak of it and only said that he’d been at the party with Mother.

  
Dot’s eyes snapped open like they so often did when he woke from a dream, especially when the dream was a long buried memory. Perhaps he would have even sat up if it weren’t for the fact that he already was. His head hurt tremendously and he really could use about ten glasses of Mabel Juice; not that he’d ever tell his small Guardian that the thought had crossed his mind. The room was dark and it took a minute for his vision to clear up and adjust.

It was his room, or rather the room he’d been occupying since he got to Gravity Falls. He was sitting on his bed, his legs spread across the width. Taking in a long deep gulp of fresh air he leaned his head back against the wall and let it loll to the side only to freeze at the sight. Beside him was his brother, blond hair shinning platinum in the moonlight and amber eyes watching him.

“Bill,” Dot started to say but was stopped when Bill put a finger to his own lips and pointed down. Between them were both Dipper and Mabel, each curled towards the other, fingers intertwined as they took in even sleepy breaths. Dot cleared his throat and lowered his voice to a whisper. “How long have we been asleep?”

For a moment Bill seemed lost about the question, as if he were trying to comprehend what it was Dot actually said. The moment only lasted a second before he pointed towards a clock that hung on the wall. It was an atrocious plastic thing that Dot had meant to take out of the room but never got around to it. The clock read 2:52 and by the moonlight streaming through the window it wasn’t afternoon. So it hadn’t been that long, just a few hours. He looked back at Bill who’s gaze had dropped to Dipper, one hand lazily messing with a curl.

“How long have you been awake?”

Bill looked back up, his face neutral. It was different to not see it twisted in a smirk. “Not long, an hour maybe.”

“And them?” he motioned to the twin Guardians.

“They’ve been asleep the entire time.”

The room grew silent again. Dot didn’t know what to say. It looked to him like Bill didn’t either. His gaze, when not on Dot, fixated on their Guardians; simply watching. Bill wasn’t pushing for conversation and Dot wouldn’t force him to. What was he supposed to say anyway? The last time Bill had wielded a weapon against their family they’d been dragged off and separated. Now they were sitting together, their Guardians a wall of protection that hadn’t been there before. He didn’t blame them though, he would never blame Mabel or Dipper for not being there.

Dot was snapped from his thoughts at the sound of movement. Mabel had nudged herself closer to her brother. Her forehead rested at his chin and Dipper accommodated by burying his nose in her hair. They both settled with a content breath, stilling once more. For both Bill and Dot it reminded them of all the times they’d shared a bed growing up, seeking out the closeness their parents didn’t give them.

“Do you think,” Dot started, catching his brother’s gaze again. “If nothing had happened, we’d have still been as close?”

“No.”

It was said in a whisper but it could have been shouted. There was barely a heartbeat between the question and the answer that the breath was knocked out of Dot. Bill’s face remained neutral and it didn’t change even as Dot seemed to flounder for something else to add to that. Dot didn’t know he’d been expecting a different answer until he heard this one. Perhaps, sometimes he liked to imagine that if nothing had happened he and his brother would grow up and go to college together. Move away and get an apartment in some far away place. Guardian or no they would have each other and they would be happy. It was a dream he didn’t even know he’d been dreaming.

Instead of retaliating he swallowed hard and said the only other thing that was fresh on his mind. “Do you remember, when we were nine, Mother had that Holiday party at a cabin?”

Bill’s shoulder’s tensed, his eyes not wavering but even in the limited light from the window he looked to have gone just a bit paler. “Yeah, even though I try not to.”

Dot ignored his brother’s clipped tone and continued. “When you came back to the parlor you asked if I was okay. You had been gone for three hours, maybe more, and you asked if I was okay like something had happened. I was too tired and honestly I didn’t want to think about it but did you know?”

The two looked at each other for a moment. At times it was easy to see what it was their twin was thinking but others, when they both were so wary and guarded about a situation, it was hard. Nevertheless, Bill knew exactly what it was Dot was talking about.

“Yeah,” Bill leaned back into the wall. “I knew.”

“So where were you really?”

“I-I’d rather not talk about it.”

Exasperated Dot huffed and shook out his hair, he needed a shower. All around them was quiet. crickets sang and buzzed in the distance but there was barely a breeze against the house. Creaks and other sounds were seemed to have settled ages ago lending their ear to the twins.

“I wasn’t okay, Bill.” This time he kept his gaze on Mabel, her sleeping form comforting in it’s contentedness. “I wasn’t okay.”

There was only a moment of quiet before Bill spoke, his voice softer then a whisper. “I know. What’s bringing this up all of a sudden?”

“A dream. Is it even a dream if it’s just a memory?” Dot puffed out a breathy laugh. “I was trying to fix my stupid bow tie and you weren’t there. You’d been gone for a long time and the party was going to start any minute. Then, then this man walked in. Suddenly it was like I was being interviewed and I tried so hard to do everything just like Father taught us. I guess it paid off, my call me heartless sometimes. But this guy, it was so weird. The wittier I got, the colder my shoulder became the wider he’d smile. I kept wishing you’d walk in the door and smile the way you used to and you’d take all of his attention.”

“He wouldn’t have given it to me.” Bill’s hands had turned to fists in his lap. “I wasn’t who he came to meet.”

“He said something like that too. You really did know something.”

“I wouldn’t lie to you.”

“I know, it’s just… If you knew something before, why didn’t you tell me? Warn me?”

“Because I didn’t know. They weren’t going to tell us anything, Dot. We packed our things for that week completely last minute, remember?” Dot nodded, Bill continued, “If I had known that night was going to happen I would have said something.”

“Where were you, Bill?” Dot tried again, almost jostling their Guardians awake in his earnestness to receive an answer.

“I was with Mother,” Bill turned his upper body to better talk to Dot. “When Father… When he took me out of the parlor an hour early he told you to stay there until someone came to collect you, right? That’s because the party had already started. You weren’t supposed to leave the room yet.”

“Why?” Dot asked, but he already knew the answer. He was supposed to meet the man, Preston. It had been arranged by Father but he’d never been told why so he assumed it as coincidence that he was found by the man.

Bill continued. “I dream of that night too, sometimes it’s more of a nightmare. It’s the only time I can remember Mother hugging me in public— at all really. She was sitting by one of the windows with a couple and a girl. She just, she leaned over and she hugged me, pulling me over to shake the hands of her company. Preston and Priscilla, that was their names, but she wasn’t important. The girl was. Mother told me to take her to get a cupcake, a cupcake, Dot. Mother hated us eating sweets but she insisted.”

Everything about Bill’s countenance looked tense, pained and Dot was afraid for only a moment before Bill reached out to once again play with a curl atop Dipper’s head. His brother visibly relaxed but not enough to lose the tension set in his jaw. He continued, but his tone was lower, darker.

“This girl, Pacifica, she was the same age as us, bred the same way too. She was proper, watching her eat a cupcake was kind of hilarious. I didn’t know what to do though. You know I was never all that good with other kids without you, I was too mean or they didn’t understand what I was saying. She was no different, not stupid, but definitely not as smart as you and I. When we went back to Mother she insisted we sit together, that we talk to each other. We quickly found out that we had something in common though, me and the girl, we didn’t play nice with others— especially eachother.”

“I don’t understand where this is going, Bill. Were, I mean we were kind of young, but were our parents trying to arrange a marriage?” Dot’s brows were furrowed in confusion, trying to find the reason Bill couldn’t have told him any of this.

“Worse,” Bill said. “So much worse, Dot.”

Resisting the urge to shake it out of him Dot listened.

“Mother didn’t want us, Dot. She wanted a kid, maybe kids, we knew that but she didn’t want us. She didn’t want boys. She wanted—“

“A girl.”

“Yeah.” Bill nodded. “You were being interviewed Dot. Preston introduced himself to me for no more then a second, kissed Priscilla and just walked away down the hall after you. One of us for her, for Pacifica. I’m sure Mother could read the look on my face and I didn’t say anything, I didn’t do anything. I just looked at them wondering what the hell I was supposed to be doing.”

Dot pulled his knees up, “They didn’t want me.”

“I’m sure they would have got rid of both of us if it weren’t for aesthetics. We looked good together, Pacifca was blonde, I was blonde, one boy, one girl. It all matched up. And them, that family, they would get the smarter twin, the one who Father had the highest ambitions for. You should have seen the way Mother and Priscilla talked about you. The perfect son for them, she said.” Bill had tears in his eyes again and Dot could see the bags there more prominently. The blond had taken his hand away from Dipper and curled them back in his fists, breaths just a tad more labored then before. Even Dot could see that he was trying hard again to keep his mind where it needed to be.

“Bill…” Dot started to speak but was stopped when those shinning eyes turned to him.

“I’m sorry, Dot. I don’t think I’ve ever said it before; ever, to anyone. But I’m so sorry, I kept thinking if I could just keep you safe, no, no that’s a lie. Safe wasn’t what I was thinking. Keep, I just wanted to keep you. Dot, I know I’m not okay and sometimes I’m going to forget that I know that. Sometimes I’m still going to want to lock you in my closet and I’m going to get frustrated when other people talk to you or make you smile. But I’m going to try, I’m sorry…” Bill drifted again, the tears in his eyes so uncharacteristic that Dot was struck, he didn’t know how to comprehend the image in front of him. It was almost a near panic but just as soon as it gripped his heart it settled.

“Hey.”

“What time is it?”

Both Guardians were rubbing at their eyes, blinking their luminous eyes a few times. It was almost like looking at a cat’s eyes, the way the green lit up. Mabel’s hand was on Dot’s, he hadn’t noticed, and her face was turned up to him smiling broadly. He smiled back, how could he not? Looking over he could see that the tears on Bill’s face were already drying. Dipper seemed to be giving his charge a very stern look and Bill was taking it with a grain of salt. It was odd, the way that dynamic worked but Dot was seeing it. Seeing that there was something there between them.

“I take a quick nap to get back a little strength and you both are trying to undo my hard work. Seriously? Where’s the appreciation?” Dipper had turned to Dot now, fixing him with an equally stern gaze.

Bill leaned forward, his chin falling on top of Dipper’s head and arms draping around the Guardian as if he were a stuffed bear. “I appreciate you, Pine Tree. No really, I do.”

Bill was more himself with Dipper awake, but it was still different Dot noticed. The Bill he was familiar with was rude and blasé, manipulative and on the verge of downright cruel. But this Bill, he had an edge of sarcasm and his playfulness wasn’t manipulative it was jaunty and genuine. It was the Bill he knew who sat under the covers with him late into the night. It was a Bill before he’d broken into so many pieces that not even his own twin could pick them up.

“You good, Dot?” He was snapped out of his thoughts by Mabel. Her small form shimmering for a second, he knew when she was reading him and tried quickly to move his mind to something calmer, something that didn’t confuse or make him so uneasy.

“Yeah, ‘m fine,” he muttered. Bill and Dipper were in the middle of a hushed argument about needing proper rest and how long it takes for someone to develop hallucinations during sleep deprivation. It was almost comforting.

“Guess what?” Mabel suddenly said, her eyes widening even further, if possible. Everyone’s eyes were drawn to her at the spirit in her voice. She waved her hands in front of Dot producing sparks of vivid colors, a silly show that was very Mabel-like. “Happy Birthday!”

“What?” That was Bill, his head still resting on top of Dipper’s. His confusion was easy to read and Dot was sure he wore the same expression. Was it already their birthday? Had it already been that many days? The brother’s looked at one another, there wasn’t any panic in the air like last time. There wasn’t a need to jump immediately away but it was awkward and new. Bill, his mind still healing couldn’t seem to pull together the pieces he needed to get through the moment and Dot— well, Dot didn’t know how to feel about any, or all, of this.

Slowly, Bill unwrapped himself from his Guardian and slipped off the bed, his socked feet soundlessly landing on the hardwood. Dipper followed. “I think I’m going to head back up to my room. We both need some rest. I’ll, uh, I’ll see you when the sun is out.”

And just like that Bill was gone. Dipper waved and smiled over at his sister then popped back into a more silent Demon form and followed his charge out of the bedroom door. Just like that Dot was alone— well he had Mabel but the room felt emptier somehow.

After a few minutes of silence where Dot just leaned back against the wall and Mabel found Cuddles on the floor he spoke up, “He apologized to me.”

Mabel stalled in the middle of finding a comfortable position to lie back down and quirked her head to the side. “Isn’t that a good thing?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think he even knew what he was saying. I don’t even think he knew what it was he was apologizing for. They sort of felt like words, like he felt obligated to say something.”

“He’s still healing, Dot. It’s like, I was a bandaid that kept falling off and Dipper is like stitches. There’s always a chance they might tear but if you take care of them and don’t pull too hard then eventually it’ll heal.”

“There’ll always be a scar though.”

“A pretty big one in Bill’s case, yeah.”

* * *

 

  
“So, none of these are overdue library books?”

No response.

“What about this? Is this even real?”

No response.

“If you were pulling Griffin feathers as a kid it’s a wonder you’re even alive today.”

No response.

“Are those deer teeth? Gross!”

Bill had fallen face down onto his bed as soon as he entered the attic room he’d lived in since he was a kid. All around were scattered books and knick-knacks that catered to his endless fight against boredom. Dipper zipped back forth in the room, touching and playing with things. After a moment the familiar scrawling of pen on paper made Bill’s head turn to the side so he could put the Guardian back in his vision.

The little tree-shaped Demon was sitting on the air with one hand supporting one of his books and the other writing. Dipper paused as soon as he noticed Bill studying him. Snapping the book shut and vanishing it from sight he slowly made his way to sit on the edge of his charge’s bed. Bill just continued facing Dipper down until eventually his eyes drifted shut and his breath evened out. He returned to his earlier dreamless sleep and Dipper stayed vigilant, spreading his awareness to the entirety of the home, content to know everyone was at rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone. Thank you! For making this story what it was. I am officially taking a bow out of this arc and any unanswered questions will be answered in the sequel to my story because I wouldn't have gone and done those things without thinking to tie up loose strings.
> 
> Unofficially, I'm pretty sure that The Reason by Hoobastank is Bill's theme song (although the Chase Holfelder version is what's in my head these days). He's not as independent as he thinks he is.
> 
> Also I'm thinking of changing the summary of this story, but I'm not sure... hmm.
> 
> Well, questions, comments, all are welcome :3


End file.
